The Legend of Spyro - Downfall of Darkness
by Az0tAc
Summary: The world is now free from Malefor's shadow, but in the realms chaos and misery still spread like a plague. Will our heroes step in one last time to rebalance the world? (Check my profile for infos on the next updates!)(Also cover finally created! Let me know what you think)
1. Chapter 1 - Avalar

**Hi, and welcome to my first ever fan-fiction. I hope you will enjoy it. Critics are welcome as well as advices. If you find some errors(which are probably there somewhere) tell me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, except for the OCs.**

**-Azotac**

Silence.

It was the only thing that she could hear.

Silence.

It took her sometime to reconnect to the real world, to regain her senses, to come back from that state of apparent sleep. Her head pounding like a drum and her mind rushing like water in a river.

Memories of the last day quickly floated up as she slowly pushed her emerald eyes open.

The gentle sun of a majestic dawn was spreading its brightness all over Cynder's surroundings, engulfing her obsidian figure with pure light. For a moment she felt at peace. Calmly she glanced the ambient she found herself in: a lush vegetation was growing all around her, the soft grass gently caressed her underbelly scales, moved by a gentle yet refreshing breeze coming from north. Cynder, still numb from all the recent events, managed to raise her head up, giving her surroundings a more accurate scan, before checking on herself. She pleasantly found that apart from some scratches and bruises, her body was still in good shape. Her pitch black scales, although covered in dust and dried blood, still managed to reflect the sunlight.

Pleased to find herself all in one piece, she tried to stand up, but quickly collapsed under her own weight, all her muscles burning and contracting from exhaustion.

Frowning she gave herself a minute to regain her forces back and, with a more accurate look at the environment, she finally stated that she was in the Avalar Valley, which was beautiful as usual.

Her eyes fell on a small flower that was growing not too far from her. Its petals were of a brilliant purple with a slight touch of indigo at the very end of them, while the centre shifted to a noble golden-yellow. She lost herself, gazing at that beautiful exemplar, contemplating the majestic violet petals. Then a sensation, an odd feeling rose through her, slapping Cynder out of her trance. In her mind there was only a word, a name. Spyro.

How, how could have she forgotten her best friend, her loved one, for all this time. She quickly jolted up from her prone shape, darting up in the sky and not caring of all her body screaming in pain.

Cynder rose up in the air, ganging height to have a better view of her surroundings, squinting her eyes in search of her beloved purple dragon.

Her head now full of thoughts, as her heart beat grew faster and faster. "_Spyro, where are you?_"She thought to herself, as a horrible felling creeped in her chest. "_He counted on me and I abandoned him. What if he's injured ,what if he's…No it can't be…_". Spyro couldn't be dead, but that feeling was growing more and more, becoming fear and terror.

Riding the northern wind she headed south, knowing that there was a river, "_Maybe Spyro could have stopped there for rest and drink_"She tried to convince herself, shoving away the uncontrollable fear that was menacing to tear her down from the sky.

After thirty eternal and painful minutes of research along the river bank, her eyes caught a purple figure laid on the soft sand near the water. Her heart leapt out of her chest for the joy. She found him!

"SPYRO!" She called, diving down to the riverside.

She called his name more and more, but no movement of acknowledgement were emitted by the violet figure.

She landed abruptly over the soft sand that slowed down her fall. She quickly pushed her exhausted body to the the dragon that was laying in front of her.

Spyro was staying on his right side giving his back to Cynder, which nudged him gently on the forehead. "Spyro…" She called softly pushing her muzzle over his, but she quickly retracted when her nose caught an odd and acre smell. She grasped her snout with her paw looking horrified, but when she gazed at her paw, horror became pure terror. A dense and too familiar liquid was infecting her senses.

Blood.

Spyro's blood was on her paw. Her eyes shifted quickly from her limb to the purple dragon, as her face tinged with a silent scream.

A single streamline of blood was running down Spyro's nose, with another one more prominent, flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Panic took control of her she started screaming. Her worst fear has become reality.

She tried to keep herself from crying any louder but it was vane. Tears bursted out like a waterfall from her emerald eyes as she moved close to Spyro's limp body curling near him and covering it with her wing.

"_NO! This can't be real! It's just a nightmare!_"She thought desperately.

Her sorrow was stopped only by a sound, a low noise coming from his body, as Spyro's flank raised slowly and unevenly before falling again.

Cynder hushed instantly to catch more of that sound, she couldn't believe herself. He was breathing.

She quickly put her paw over her hero's neck, as hope was returning to her. Then she felt it: a slow, feeble and uneven beat.

He was alive. Cynder took another moment to process it all, while inspecting her friend's body. There were a lot of bruises and scratches just like on her, but shortly after she noticed that his right wing was crushed under his body, and his right hind leg stood in an abnormal position.

He was alive, but just barely.

With all her strong will she managed to take Spyro's body on her shoulders and slowly took flight . Her wings carrying them to the only presumed safe place: Warfang.


	2. Chapter 2 - Warfang

**Well here we have a second chapter, I hope you will enjoy it, as to be able to pump up a bit the quality in the future. I plan to dedicate more time on this by next week(01/07/2019 - gg/mm/aaaa)**

**-Azotac**

The great dragon city was still standing. Even after Malefor and his army, even after the great catastrophe caused by the Destroyer, even at the massive earthquake that followed the recomposition of the planet. Its impenetrable walls were mostly still in one piece, apart from the crumbled segments in the northern part. The few guards still present in the city were silently patrolling over the barrier as the sun was quickly falling over the horizon.

Most of the inner city stood almost untouched, even after the golem assault, which caused the destruction of some great palaces and buildings, but nothing that couldn't be rebuilt.

In the southern part of the city, away from the possible danger of a siege, a lone and great figure was gazing and the sunset over a balcony of the Warfang Temple. Built in a similar fashion to the original one, the Warfang's one was mostly unused if not for great celebrations, festivities or for housing the Guardians during their presence in the great city.

The lonely Earth Guardian gazed again at the Sun, now almost below the horizon. He sighed. His head full of oppressing and depressing thoughts. The dragon kind was devastated by the secular conflict, which only rampaged in the last few years. Thousands and thousands of brave dragons were slaughtered by the Dark Master and his army, and the ones who managed to escape are now lost and hidden who knows where all around the continent.

Then there was another mind bearing thought, constantly present in his mind: the trio that left for the belt of fire. Few words could describe the happiness that he felt when the earth quake had stopped and the air cleared showing a beautiful and cloudless starry sky. They managed to succeed one way or another, but the weight of their absence still crushed him.

Then a familiar glow illuminated his snout, as a weak smile tinted his face.

"Are you worried, old guy? 'Cause I feel like I'm dying inside…"Said Sparx.

Terrador frowned, he never heard the dragonfly speak in a such sad manner.

"Yes, I'm worried. But as a friend I still hope for their safe return. They're all strong dragons. I'm sure they're fine. Just give them some time, and have faith."

The golden dragonfly sighed. "I hope you're right…".

Then without another word he zipped down the large corridor behind them.

Terrador exhaled heavy again, staring at the beautiful sky above him. Instinctively he prayed.

"May the Ancestors guide you home safely".

He stayed in that position for some other moments, then slowly stood up to retire for the night.

Just when he started walking down the corridor he heard the distinctive noise of wings flapping. Few seconds later a young soldier landed over the balcony.

Panting he said:"Master Terrador, sir, Spyro and Cynder have …" He was suddenly cut up by the booming voice of the guardian:"Where, where are they?"

The young fire guard gulped, not expecting such a reaction.

"They're currently over the western wall, sir, but they will be relocated soon to the infirmary…"

The guardian's happiness suddenly dissipated like dust in the wind.

"Wait, what. What's their status, and what about Ignitus, has he arrived too?".

The soldier shook his head.

"Master Ignitus hasn't returned yet. The young dragons just dropped over the wall few minutes ago. The black one, Cynder, was exhausted but mostly unarmed. However…" He paused.

"Spyro seems to be deadly injured".

At the hearing of those fateful words his heart collapsed. The Guardian run towards the balcony and launched himself in air, speeding to the infirmary. The young dragon gazed him wordlessly for a few moments before following him suit.

The sun had now left his place to the moons and stars.


	3. Chapter 3 - Exhaustion

**Hi everyone, here we are with another chapter, this one is a bit longer. I hope you'll like it.**

Cynder flew for hours and hours not caring how tired she was. All her energy was focused on one task: bring Spyro to Warfang.

Sometimes she craned her neck backwards to see if the purple dragon had awaken, but nothing, just a limp body packed on her shoulder like a weight, only dripping crimson blood on her obsidian scales.

She tried not to cry, but the emotional and physical burden was too much. Her tears silently shedding form her eyes, quickly drawn along her cheeks by the wind rushing against the dragoness.

The only thing that gave her the indication of how much time has passed since their departure was the Sun. Now it was sinking below the horizon. In a moment of lucidity, she complimented to herself: she's been flying all day long never stopping, even for drinking or eating. She was sure that, once landed, the fatigue would take its toll, but at that moment all that mattered was Spyro.

After an undefined amount of time she glimpsed the great wall of Warfang. Noticing that it was in the same state as when they left, a sparkle of hope ignited in her chest. She sped up for the last kilometres of her journey.

Cynder was a few hundred meters away from the wall when she heard the guards beginning to call.

It was only an indistinct noise, a buzz to her hears as her senses began to fail.

She ultimately managed to land brutally on the wall, Spyro's body being shoved off her back like a motionless sack. Then she collapsed.

The few dragons that were patrolling the barrier quickly converged to them, one in particular began shouting orders. A dragon took flight instantly, heading south, while another began to inspect Spyro. Finally a guard approached her, talking quietly:"Young dragoness, what happened?" With the fatigue now spreading over Cynder's body like a virus, she managed to say:"Spyro, help him, he's dying…" Then she blacked out.

"…"

"….."

"…Cynder…"

She heard that familiar voice.

"Cynder…"

She tried to open her eyes, slowly catching the light invading her surroundings.

She focused on who called her: a familiar dark green dragon was standing with his muzzle in front of hers. She quickly recognised him.

"Terrador, where…" But the guardian cut her:

"You're safe now, you and Spyro have been transported here after you landed on the wall."

"Spyro…"

"SPYRO!" she screamed, trying to stand up, but a strong paw on her shoulder was forcing her down.

"Now young dragoness you need to rest. Spyro managed to survive the night, the medics are doing their best."

A tinge of sorrow injected in his last words.

"What happened to him Terrador? Why he's taken so badly? Will he…"

She didn't finish the phrase. Deep inside she knew the answer to the second question. The battle with the Dark Master was devastating for both of them, then the power which Spyro used in the planet core had probably done the rest.

"The doctors said that most injuries are internal, they don't know what caused them. The broken wing and leg are probably due to a bad fall."He stated.

"For what caused those injuries I'd like to tell me what happened after the Belt of Fire, if you're ready to talk about it."

His tone calm and gentle with a weak smile on his muzzle, even if his eyes stated anxiety and misery.

She breathed heavily, and slowly began to recall all the recent events.

Cynder started to narrate what happened through and after the Belt of Fire:the sacrifice of Ignitus, their journey through the burned lands, their ascension to the former Dragon temple, the dreadful battle with Malefor deep in the planet core, and finally Spyro's reconstruction of the world.

The Earth Guardian was almost speechless, astonished and saddened by all that Cynder told him.

The passing of Ignitus struck him the most, but he had that sad feeling since he learnt that the Fire Guardian hadn't returned with the young dragons. He wouldn't have dared to leave them alone, never.

"Where are the other Guardians, Terrador, are they fine?" Cynder asked.

"Yes, thanks to the Ancestors. Volteer is working on establishing contact with the dragons that evacuated from city in prevision of an attack, while Cyril is reorganising the defences." The Earth Guardian answered.

"I've already notify them of your returning. I hope they'll find the time to come here… Now excuse me Cynder but I need to go, you need to rest and I've got my duties to fulfil."

He bowed his head and then left.

Cynder dropped her head on her forelegs, her thoughts now on Spyro.

"_It's all my fault I should have protected him, and now even after he has done for us, he's still risking his life._"She thought while a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Miss Cynder?" An unfamiliar voice called. Her eyes darted to the origin of the sound.

A light grey and blue dragoness was standing near her. Her slender and elegant figure stayed at the corner of her bed, with a smile on her face, her brilliant blue eyes glistening at the sunlight.

"Who are you?" Cynder asked tiredly.

"My name is Aramis, I'm the chief medic of the structure." The dragoness answered gently.

"I came here to ask you if you feel any better, yesterday evening you collapsed by exhaustion."Aramis stated.

"I'll be fine, but what about Spyro, will he be ok?"

"I cannot say that certainly, his internal organs are pretty damaged, it's almost a miracle that he's still alive."She paused, while Cynder stared at her with pure sorrow etched on her face.

"But he's a strong dragon, the fact that he's still breathing, and that he survived the night proves it. Just give him some time, and have faith in your friend."

Cynder stayed silent for few moments before asking the dragoness:"May I see him, please?"

Aramis gazed her, noticing all the suffering reflected in those emerald eyes.

"Yes, you may, but we won't stay for too long, the moles are working on him. And I warn you: it couldn't be a pleasant thing to witness."She stated, lowering herself to the bed's level allowing Cynder to slide on her back, as being yet too weak to walk.

Aramis walked to the next room. She slowly pushed the door open, revealing another ambient pretty similar to the one Cynder found herself in. The wall were of a solid and clean white, the floor too was of pure clear marble. The room was enlightened by a series of windows and a great circular opening on the ceiling casting a column of light directly on the bed in the centre, were Spyro was lying.

His left hind leg and his wing were bandaged with a blood stained white cloth. His bruises and cuts were mostly gone even if some brute scars were still remaining. His maw and nose were now clean of blood. His flank slowly and unevenly raising, signalling that he was breathing.

A couple of moles were working on him, carefully massaging his chest in order to set the ribs back in place. Another mole came with a handful of gems, both green and red, and quickly pushed them near the purple dragon. The crystals immediately dissipated at the contact with his scales.

"It's a grace that he's still unconscious, he would be suffering much more if he was awake."Stated Aramis.

She nodded to the moles who had noticed her before turning around to take Cynder back.

Once Cynder settled down the black dragoness thanked the medic, then tried to sleep.

But no peaceful rest came to her. Whenever she closed her eyes, images of Spyro's broken body flashed before her, forcing to open them.

She remained in this state for an indefinite period of time, and in the end sleep came to her only by exhaustion.

She woke up several hours later, as the sun was beginning to sink under the mountains.

All of a sudden the noise of clicking talons on the marble floor came to her ears. Someone was coming to her room.

"_Maybe it's Aramis, she said she would come to check me every few hours, or maybe..._ "

"_No! I mustn't lose hope_"She said in her mind.

Cynder was slapped out from her trance by the creaking sound of the door opening. Two familiar dragons were standing at the door, with them a very angry dragonfly.

In a beat of a heart, the golden dragonfly zipped in front of her.

"You monster!How could you let Spyro get hurt like that!"

Sparx try to fist her nose, a vane endeavour of hurting her, even if her heart was already broken.

Cynder was silent, guilt grasping her throat. She only managed to mutter few words:

"I'm sorry Sparx...it's all my fault…"

The dragonfly hovered silently for a few moments in front of her, his expression was illegible.

The other two guests in her room stood still at the door, gazing miserably at the scene.

"You know what? It's all my fault. I should never have trusted you, and I should never have left you with my brother! I never want to see you again!"

And without another word he left the room in an instant.

Cyril sighed.

"Don't listen to him, he's a bit shocked like all of us. It will pass…"Stated the blue dragon.

"I fully support Cyril's theory, and it's clear that our little dragonfly friend doesn't comprise the marvellous, astonishing accomplishment that you and Spyro have achieved. It's "

"Stop blabbering you old windbag". The blue dragon interrupted noticing Cynder becoming more miserable. Cyril got closer to Cynder, putting a paw on her shoulder, as she raised her watery eyes to him.

"This are difficult times young dragoness. I know that you are suffering and you don't deserve anything of this, but you can do nothing for him. Just give him time and have faith in young Spyro."

At those words something in her snapped, as she rose up and started screaming:

"YOU ALL TELL ME TO HAVE FAITH, BUT YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL NOW!"

Her rage building up as Cyril began to recoil.

"SPYRO IS DYING AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT. HOW CAN I WAIT JUST DOING NOTHING!"

She then stopped as tears cooled her face, now ashamed from the display she turned up.

She collapsed down to her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's all my fault, I failed him..."

The two guardians looked at each other miserably, shaking their heads.

Volteer inched closer to her, caressing her with one wing.

"None of this is your fault, my darling. All that happened was outside of you control. It's a miracle that you two managed to succeed. Please don't feel guilty, after all you are a hero, our hero."The yellow dragon said kindly.

"_A hero that didn't save her loved one._" She thought to herself.


	4. Chapter 4 - Rough Awakening

**Hi I'm encountering a few problems while uploading the chapters, it seems like some words got completely cut away during the upload. I hope to fix this asap. -Azotac**

Few days had passed since that discussion with the Guardians.

Cynder has almost completely gained back her strengths, while Spyro fatigued to get better.

Aramis came to the black dragoness every day to inform her of Spyro's status.

The medics managed to cure most of his internal injuries by an extensive use of red gems, but some of them were far too deep in his organs, and it was impossible to cure them completely without opening him up. Still Aramis was hopeful.

Then one night...

Cynder woke on a jolt, sounds on running moles and a screaming dragoness were echoing in her ears.

An awful feeling creeped in her chest. Something bad was happening.

She run out of her room, going in the direction of the noise.

She arrived in Spyro's room, and what she saw terrified her: stains of blood where spattered across the floor as the sound of Spyro's coughs was flooding her mind.

Then a voice subdued that noise:

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Aramis shouted.

"I wanna help!"Cynder tried to answer.

"YOU'RE GONNA HELP BY STAYING IN YOUR ROOM!" Aramis retorted, her paws stained with blood.

"NO, I WANNA HELP SPYRO, YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM DOING IT, I…" She was blocked by a drenched cloth put on her muzzle, she tried to scream but her senses quickly faded in darkness.

When she woke up sun was already far up in the sky, illuminating completely her room.

She tried to recount the facts of the last night, but was interrupted by Aramis entering swiftly in her room. Before Cynder could argue the grey dragoness began speaking:

"I'm sorry for last night, young lady, but you seemed to be out of reason so we decided to sedate you in case you wanted to do something stupid."

Cynder tried to retort but was again interrupted by Aramis:

"But I'm sure you will forgive me after I tell you this."She paused."Spyro is awake, and he wants to see you."

The black dragoness couldn't believe those words. Hope filled her heart as she jumped down her bed.

Aramis accompanied Cynder to Spyro's room but before entering, the grey dragoness warned:

"Even if he's awake, his conditions are pretty unstable. Last night he coughed out most of the blood deposited in his lungs, I'm sure it was pretty painful. He may be stressed or irritable. So be careful."

Cynder nodded then pushed the door open, entering eagerly.

She gazed at the purple dragon with sorrow and joy. His breathing was now mostly even and clean, but his body still remained battered and broken.

She closed to him, gently nuzzling his neck.

"Spyro, I'm here" she called.

"Cynder..."he responded. Hearing that voice, even if a bit raspy and feeble, made her heart melt in pure joy and happiness.

"Oh Spyro, I'm so happy to hear your voice. You made me worry sick." She told him softly.

"Cynder, I'm so sorry"

"You don't need to be sorry. I'm the one that should be. I wasn't there when you needed me. I know I failed you." Tears slid down on her check and over Spyro muzzle.

He weakly unfurled his good wing over her and pulled the dragoness closer.

"You didn't fail me, you never had. And I'm sure you never will. "He whispered softly in her ears, as she buried her face into his scarred chest.

She calmed down a little, just for being so close to his purple hero. The sound of his, now even, heartbeat washing away all her worries.

"And from what Miss Aramis told me, you saved my butt again. I owe you one now!" He said mockingly.

"Nah, I think we are even."She replied.

They both laughed briefly, smiling fondly at each other. He lost himself in those deep emerald eyes that he missed so much.

"Cynder I..." His head felt suddenly heavy and his sight become all a blur, as he collapsed on the cushion beneath it.

Cynder recoiled but she was quickly shoved away by Aramis, which swiftly put her paw on his neck. Few moments later she sighed.

"He's fine, just a pass out. Give him a few hours to rest."Reassured the medic.

"Can I stay here with him, please?" Asked Cynder.

The grey dragoness smiled and nodded, then left.

"Just call if you have any problem, I'll be around here" Aramis said while exiting the door.

When the door closed, she gazed at the purple dragon laying in front of her.

With a smile, she climbed over his bed and curled near him, covering her friend with a wing.

She watched him for a long time, inspecting his body from tail to muzzle. A miserable frown etching on her face. The debilitation of his body was clear. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight, due to the fact that he hadn't eaten properly for about one week.

His horns and underbelly were now of a faded gold hue, far distant from the lustrous colour that once adorned his body. His scales were faded too, now resembling a lavender tone. His body was worn out by several scars that still were visible even after the red gems. His right hind leg was now free from the bandages and stood in its normal position, while his right wing was still bandaged and neatly folded at his side.

Even after all this his face seemed to be relaxed, almost peaceful. She hoped to be part of what made him feel better.

And with easing thoughts in her mind she slowly drifted into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 - Newcomer

**Hi, new chapter here. In this one I'm going to introduce some other OCs, hope you will like it. Thanks a lot for for the feedback I've received, I hope to improve.**

**-Azotac**

The sun was barely over the horizon, when two guards, one fire dragon and one ice dragon were passing over the Northern wall.

"Man, I don't understand why do we need to make these patrols all night long. The war is over isn't it? Can't we just be at peace and don't worry about nothing for sometime?"Said the fire dragon.

"Dareon, how many times do I need to say this: even if the war is over, it doesn't mean that the threat for our city is over. In addition there a lot of citizens that flee before the attack, they need someone to direct them if they ever come back." The ice dragon stated flatly.

The fire dragon chuckled.

"Yeah I know it's just fun to annoy you, Cyreus".

The ice dragon watched flatly Dareon, but soon after his gaze was addressed to something behind his fire friend.

The fire dragon noticed it and turned around, glancing at the horizon, scanning for threats.

"What did you see, bro"

"There, it seems like a dragon but I'm not sure it's too far away." Said the Cyreus pointing his right wing in the direction of the incoming creature.

"Go and warn the captain, tell him to stay on alert." Ordered the ice dragon.

"Yes, lieutenant!"Shouted the fire dragon, before darting up in the sky.

Cyreus waited a few more minutes and finally the creature was becoming visible in the sunlight:

It was definitely a dragon, but something was wrong with him or her.

Its wings were beating unevenly, like it was being dragged down by something and his head was hanging low.

Still it was approaching fast.

"You, stop and declare yourself!" Shouted the ice guard but the unknown dragon kept going.

It was directing precisely over his position.

When the creature was in plain sight a chill run down Cyreus spine.

It was a white dragon, not too older than Spyro. His body was mostly covered in blood. An array of arrows planted in its back, hind legs and underbelly. The dragon dropped over the barrier drifting near the inner edge before the guard caught him by the tail and dragged back to safety, leaving jagged bloodstains over the clear granite of the rampart.

A closer look to the dragon revealed his dramatic state. In addition to the arrows, there were wide gashes all over his body, dripping blood all over the floor.

Cyreus was shocked, as the dragon's injuries reminded him too much of his fallen friends in the recent conflict.

Without more words he took the dying youngster on his back and flew as fast as he could to the infirmary.

He burst the door open calling for help.

"HELP, INJURED DRAGON!" Cyreus screamed.

In a moment three moles arrived with a stretcher and helped the ice guard securing him on it. Then they dashed away in the corridor calling for others to help.

Meanwhile Aramis joined the shocked ice dragon standing covered in blood at the entrance.

"Could you tell me what happened, Cyreus?" She asked softly.

The ice dragon stood still for a few moment, panting heavily. As the grey dragoness watched him worried.

After some seconds, he managed to regain control of his breath and begun:

"I spotted him coming towards Warfang, at first I thought it was an enemy, I was ready to shot him down for good. Thanks the Ancestors that I waited enough to see it was a dragon. He fell over the wall where I was patrolling, shedding blood everywhere. I brought him here as soon as I could. I hope you can do something for that young dragon. He seemed to be not too much older than our young Spyro."Cyreus answered.

"We'll see what we can do to help him..." Said finally the grey dragoness.

* * *

Cynder was waken by the sound of the stretcher and moles running trough the corridor.

Spyro was waken too as he began slowly to open his eyes. The black dragoness noticed it and gently nuzzled his cheek.

"Shhh, you need to rest, I'm going to ask Aramis what happened. You stay here."

His answer was only a low, pleased grunt.

She hopped down his bed and exited the room.

"Good morning Cynder, how's Spyro doing?"Aramis asked her, coming on in the corridor.

"He's still resting, but he seems to be fine. I came to ask you what happened, I heard a lot of noise coming from outside." Said Cynder.

"A young dragon, not too much older than you, arrived few minutes ago in Warfang heavily injured. I was going to his room to help the moles."Answered the grey dragoness.

"_Another young dragon like us…_" Cynder told herself.

"I thought that me and Spyro were the only remaining young dragons, how's that possible?"Asked the black dragoness.

"Well, the Year of the Dragon was a tradition but the couples weren't forced to bring their eggs to the temple. It was just advised because it was thought to be safer, especially during war period."

Aramis sighed."But it turned out to be almost the ruin of our kind."

"Aramis who are you talking with?"A male voice called her.

Few moments later, Cyreus joined her. His gaze fell upon Cynder, which was watching him curiously.

"Oh, Cynder…"He said awkwardly"I see you recovered completely. That's…Good."His face forced in a fake smile.

Aramis interrupted him."Cyreus you shouldn't stay here bothering my patients. Your duty here is done."She then licked his cheek swiftly before shoving him away.

When the dragoness returned, Cynder asked her sadly:"He was behaving weirdly with me. Did I do something to him?"

Aramis didn't respond immediately.

"Let's say that someone in this city didn't completely forgive you for you actions as Terror of the Sky. But you shouldn't worry about it now. Go and stay with Spyro, he needs you now, as much as that young dragon needs me."

Without another word she dashed trough the corridor.

Cynder sighed and returned to Spyro's room.

Questions on that brief encounter were flowing in her mind like a river. The words of the grey dragoness echoing in her thoughts:"_Not everybody forgave you…_"

She slowly climbed over Spyro's bed, curling next to him.

Just by staying beside her purple hero, her preoccupations faded away.


	6. Chapter 6 - Mending Wounds

_**Hi, the story almost reached 700 views, thank you for your support! Anyway in this new chapter I'll introduce one of the new secondary protagonists. The next few chapters will be a bit boring(if you prefer action) because I need to insert the new characters and because Spyro is still recovering from his injuries, so he can't do much. I won't waste anymore time, have a good reading. -Azotac**_

_\- Few days later -_

"C'mon Spyro you can do it. Don't be a sissy!" Said Sparx mockingly.

"I think you're not helping, Sparx."Cynder said annoyed, while helping the purple dragon standing on his paws.

"Didn't I say that I won't talk with you ever again, miss Ialmostletyourbrotherdie?". Replied the dragonfly.

"Sparx what have I told about that, it wasn't her fault. I won't repeat that again." Said Spyro angrily at his brother.

"Geez purple boy, calm down,I was just messing around with her."

"And I think you won't be able to do anything to me for quite some time pal."The dragonfly added mischievously, but he was cut out by a rush of wind, sending him out of the open window.

"That doesn't mean I won't do anything." Said Cynder grinning.

Spyro chuckled before trying to walk again, holding his left wing onto Cynder's back.

"I have to admit I missed the bickering between you too. It's good to be back." Stated Spyro.

"It's good to have you back, Spyro. I don't know what I… We would do without you."

"I don't know either… I mean if I was without you guys."Spyro flushing red under his scales for his mistake.

Cynder chuckled, then nuzzled him on the cheek."I know what you meant Spyro…"

They walked to the outside balcony, bathing in the morning light. They sat on the marble floor, Cynder posed her head over Spyro's shoulder as they gazed at the cityscape.

During their permanence in the infirmary, the reconstruction works had progressed quite impressively. The walls were almost fully restored, while the buildings destroyed by the golem where already being cleared from the rubble and wreckages left, preparing them for the rebuilding.

They spotted few dragons and moles walking trough the city streets. It was good to see a minimum of life even after the disastrous conflict.

"Cyril said that a group of dragons is on its way to come back, it will take them some days, though."Stated Spyro.

A sense of anguish grasped Cynder's chest.

"I hope they will forgive me for everything I've done during the war."Said the black dragoness, holding Spyro's left foreleg tightly. The purple dragon unfurled his good wing to bring her closer, gently nuzzling her forehead.

"I'm sure they will, and if they don't, let me convince them. You saved the world with me after all…" He said smiling to her.

They stayed together like that for a few more time, enjoying each other warmth and company. Something that they both missed much.

Finally Spyro said something:"I think we should pay a visit to the newcomer. I heard Aramis say that he's gradually getting better, maybe seeing someone of his own age could help him feel well…"

Cynder lift up her head from his chest, as he continued speaking:"And maybe he can help us to learn how to be normal dragons."

"_Normal dragons…_" She thought. Actually Spyro was right, all their life until now was focused on surviving and defeating Malefor. They knew very little about how to live normally, in contact with other dragons for extended periods of time.

"I think you're right. Let's go to meet him."Stated Cynder standing up and helping Spyro getting on his paws.

"But slowly." She chuckled at the purple dragon at her side.

They walked along the corridor, arriving in the new dragon's room and they knocked.

Few moments later the door opened, revealing a mole doctor watching them expectantly.

"Ah, Master Spyro and Miss Cynder, how can I assist you?"Asked politely the medic.

"We would like to meet the newcomer, if he's available to…"

"Please, let them in." A voice came from inside the room.

The mole nodded and opened the door completely, letting the two young dragons in.

They got closer to the bed, where the white dragon laid.

Spyro observed him curiously: his scales and wing membranes were of a candid white, in stark contrast with his deep gold chest, underbelly and horns. His abdomen and chest were neatly wrapped with white bandage, with some blood spots visible trough the cloth. His hind legs were wrapped too, letting free only his forelegs and his neck. His tail-blade was golden too with a shape that resembled the tip of a spear.

"Hello, it's a honour to meet you." Said weakly the white dragon.

"Do you know us?"Asked Spyro.

"Well of course I know who you are: Master Spyro the Purple Dragon…" His light brown eyes fell upon Cynder, a tinge of sorrow in his gaze."And Miss Cynder, the black dragoness."

Cynder could swear she had already seen those eyes somewhere, but she couldn't remember when or where.

"Please don't call us like that, we want to be friends, not superiors."Said the purple dragon.

"What's your name?" Spyro asked then politely.

"Auros."He answered.

"And I would be honoured to be called your friend." His face tinted with a sincere smile.

"Can I ask you how did you get yourself all these injuries?"Questioned Spyro.

The white dragon exhaled heavily.

"I was coming towards Warfang after seeing that the earthquake had stopped, but few hours before my scheduled arrival, a bunch of grublins ambushed me."He said.

"They came out from nothing, I noticed them too late to avoid the arrows. I managed to kill some of them, but when I saw how many they were I decided to escape."

Spyro and Cynder were listening carefully at the story of the white dragon. They expected that the grublins would disappear after the fall of Malefor, but it seemed that their theory was wrong.

In addition, a strange feeling kept growing inside Cynder's mind, she had definitely already seen that dragon somewhere.

"Spyro could you leave us talk alone for a second, please?"She asked suddenly, taking advantage of a brief pause in Auros's story.

Spyro was a little taken aback by the question, but the look in her eyes convinced him.

"Ok, I will be talking with the medic."He nuzzled Cynder on her cheek then limped away from the bed.

Auros was also taken aback by her question, but he was also curios of what could the former Terror of the Skies want from him, even if deep inside he maybe knew which would be the question.

Spyro always kept an eye on them, even when talking with the doctor about his rehabilitation routine. She saw Cynder dropping her head sadly and Auros putting his paw over hers, with a kind yet miserable smile over his muzzle.

Few moments later Cynder came back to him, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Spyro couldn't understand her reaction, but decided not to ask before they were alone together.

They left the room, saluting their new friend and the doctor, sadness clearly audible in Cynder's voice.

As soon they returned to Spyro's room, they curled up on his bed.

"What did he say to make you feel so miserable?" Spyro asked gently, caressing her neck.

"When I looked him in the eyes, I had a weird sense of familiarity, so I asked him if we had already met…" She said sobbing.

"And…?"The purple dragon asked eagerly.

She didn't answer instantly.

"And he said yes. We met when I killed his family." She said, beginning to recount what happened that night. That long forgotten memory now clear in her mind.

* * *

_A smell of smoke and burned flesh was coursing trough her nostrils. All around her there was just destruction and death, like she wanted it to be. Distant screams of a dragoness calling for help reached her hears. It was like music. The cries stopped when one ape soldier pierced her throat with a spear, shedding crimson blood all over the village street._

_Cynder walked silently along the main road, admiring the burning houses and the fallen statues. Her master will be surely pleased by her work._

_Then, her attention was caught by a muffled cough coming form her right, where there was a wrecked house. An evil grin etched on her face as she moved towards the building. She slammed open what remained of the door and what she found pleased her in the most sadistic way._

_In front of her there was a white dragoness curled around two hatchlings, one white and one blue, protecting them with her whole body. Near her, there was a corpse of another dragon, his golden chest pierced by a spear,his blood spread on the ground and over his faded blue scales._

_"__My, my, what do we have here?"Said the black dragoness with a maleficent voice, closing to the white one._

_"__STAY AWAY FROM THEM YOU MONSTER!"Screamed the mother, curling tighter around her children._

_"__I'm sorry but that's not possible."She answered. Then in a heartbeat her tail-blade flung in the air, slashing the dragoness throat. Her blood poured all over the floor, as her body fell motionless over the ground._

_"__MOM!" Screamed the blue one._

_"__STAY BACK!" Shouted the white hatchling, stepping in front of his brother. His brown eyes meeting the ones of the devious monster in front of him._

_"__What a dose of courage do we have here."Said Cynder almost laughing at the pathetic scene._

_"__But, I'm sorry, it won't be good for anything".With a swift movement of her right paw, she sent the small dragon tumbling to the wall. From the impact, a part of the ceiling fell over the whelping, burying him completely._

_"__AUROS NO!"Screamed panicked his brother, while the black dragoness inched closer._

_"__Now it's your turn, little whelp."_

_And with her tail blade, she finished the hatching's life. She gazed around her, smell of fresh blood inebriating her senses. Pleased by her work, she left the wreckage, darting up in the air and disappearing in the night sky._

* * *

Spyro recoiled a little at the whole speech, but he knew deep inside that this moment would arrive, when Cynder's past would come afloat.

"And you want to know what's the worst part?"She continued, tears now dropping on the bedsheets.

"He forgave me. I've completely tore apart his life when he was just a child, and he forgave me…"She said.

"Maybe he knows it wasn't you fault. It never was. It was…Malefor's." He gripped the sheets, a snarl tinged his last world.

"How can you still be at my side, after all I've done to the dragon-kind. I don't deserve forgiveness." Sobbed Cynder laying her head on her forepaws.

Spyro grasped her face, bring them nose to nose, his amethyst eyes staring directly in her emerald ones.

"Don't you say that ever again. You proved yourself more than once. Without you, there wouldn't be a world to live in. You saved all the dragon-kind and the other countless races with me. They're the ones who should ask for forgiveness, for misjudging and not trusting you." His stare never leaving her eyes as he continued:"And most importantly, I would be nothing without you. Please never forget that."

A surge of courage coursed through his body, helping him to say what he wanted to from the very first moment he was awake.

"Do you remember what you told me in the planet core?"His tone now softer.

Cynder was speechless. She had never heard Spyro talking in that way. She wanted to answer the question, but he continued:"You said you will never leave my side, and…"He paused, his stare never leaving her eyes"That you loved me."

"I want you to know that those words gave me the will to finish what I've begun, to put the world back together. It was you, being next to me all this time, that gave me the strength to overcome the difficulties and to go on."

He paused for few moments, staring in her watery emerald eyes.

"I want you to know that I love you, and I will forever-"He was cut up by Cynder jumping over him, tears of joy streaming from her eyes. She hugged him tightly nuzzling his neck, shedding droplets over his golden chest. Spyro managed not to yelp for the pain coming from his still fragile ribs, but the adrenaline helped him.

They stayed like that for few more moments, lying together on Spyro's bed , before she pulled away and began licking his muzzle.

"I love you Spyro, with all my heart. You just made me the happiest dragoness of the world."

She cooed gently, putting her forehead over his.

"And you made me the happiest dragon."


	7. Chapter 7 - Coming Back to Life

**Hi, here we have a new chapter, a bit longer than the usual. I was tempted to split it in two but it didn't feel quite right. As always i hope you enjoy this one and let me know if you have any ****suggestions, advices or simply if you're liking the journey so far.**

**-Azotac**

_-Some days later-_

The sun was shining bright that morning in Warfang. A gentle breeze was coursing trough the city's streets and alleys, easing a bit the already hot sun rays. Cynder was laying under the shade of a tree, in one of the great gardens of the city, her gaze fixed on the purple dragon few meters away from her.

Spyro was exercising his walk on a softer terrain to help his balance, as his physician suggested him. Actually the sand would have been even better, but flying to the coast was impossible for him now.

Despite this, with a bit of help of his returning earth power he managed to soften a portion of the ground in the corner of the garden, permitting him to exercise.

He did fell a few times, but he always managed to get up alone, without the help of Cynder.

Spyro was happy to feel his strengths gradually returning. He wanted also desperately go back to fly, but even if his wing was almost healed, it was still too weak to support the flight.

This fact bothered Spyro a lot, but he also knew that straining it too early would only extend his recovery time. He just had to wait some more days.

After a good half an hour of walking back and forth in the garden he pushed himself to where Cynder was resting.

He sat at her right covering her with his left wing. She raised her head, nuzzling his neck. Spyro emitted a low, pleased growl.

"It's good to see you recovering, Spyro. You're really making great progresses." She cooed.

"Well, your presence here is a cause of my good recovering. "He answered softly.

"Since when did you become so sweet?"She asked flatly.

"Being almost dead teaches you to appreciate more what you have in life. Most importantly the ones you love."

"And since when did you become so wise?" She said mockingly.

"Another perk of being almost sent to the Ancestors, I think."He answered chuckling.

They smiled fondly at each other, losing themselves in each other eyes, before posing gently their foreheads together.

Few moments later Cynder pulled away, gazing at the horizon. Spyro watched her quizzically. Something was on her mind.

"There's something that bothers you?"He asked.

"I was just thinking about what happened after, well, you recomposed the planet. I can't still figure out how we managed to escape the planet core."She sighed.

"Well, we didn't escape actually."He stated.

"What?"

"When I begun to pull back the world, I pictured in my mind us together in Avalar. I managed to put you safely in a nice clearing near the forest, but I was too exhausted to join you, so I ended up were you found me, I guess."He stated.

"Oh Spyro…"She nuzzled his cheek.

A sudden loud shout, broke their intimacy:"There they are!".

They saw a group of moles and dragons speeding trough the gallery that connected the main street to the garden.

The two young dragons managed to stand up rather quickly, before being surrounded by about thirty excited citizens all shouting different things.

"By the Spirits! He's really purple!"

"I thought he was taller, honestly."

"Why is she here?"

"Can I have a paw-print, Mister Spyro?"

"Ancestors, she's really terrifying."

"Look at those scars!"

Spyro was actually panicked, they were completely surrounded and he couldn't escape.

But in a fraction of a second, with a swift movement Cynder covered him with her wing and then all went black.

He experienced one of the weirdest sensation of his life: a grasping cold was spreading trough him, being only mitigated by the warm feeling of Cynder's wing around his back. He felt like he was just drifting into the void.

Then, it all ended before he could notice it, as they found themselves in front of the infirmary building.

"What, what did just happen?"Asked Spyro, clearly confused.

"We made a quick trip in the shadows, those people were beginning to hurt my nerves."She stated almost snarling.

"I didn't know you could do that"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, purple boy".She said winking at him.

Spyro flushed red under his scales, thinking about what she could possibly mean with those words.

"Now let's go inside before they come back."She said pushing the door open.

Without another word they slipped inside the infirmary.

* * *

Auros was sit over a cushion near his bed, gazing the urban landscape outside the windows.

It was something that never got him tired. He could watch for hours that beautiful scenery. It was almost comparable to the one he saw in the wilderness during his life. A tinge of sorrow etched on his face as he sighed.

His thoughts were interrupted by the doctor calling for him.

"Come here young one, we need to do the therapy."The mole stated.

"Do I really need to do it? I'm feeling much better now."He answered a bit frightened.

"I have to admit, you are the first dragon I heard that has this kind of problem with red gems."Said the doctor, holding some crimson crystals in his hands.

"But if you want to get better sooner you need to use them. Even if they cause you pain."He continued.

Finally the white dragon nodded, bracing mentally for the suffering.

The mole slowly pushed the crystals near his scales, as they begun to flash red, a surge of pain rushed through the young dragon: he could feel every remaining injury closing , but the sensation was all but pleasing. It was like all the arrows he got in the back were being slowly pulled out one by one and as a sword was slowly cutting along the gashes on his hide.

Luckily the agony endured only few seconds, and when the gems dissipated completely, Auros let out a low growl, releasing all the tension.

"There you go, young one. Now all your injuries are sealed, but unfortunately the scars will probably remain for a while. You should try to walk a bit, you need to do some more rehabilitation for those hind legs. Maybe you could ask Spyro to join him." Stated the doctor.

The white dragon groaned.

"Thank you, I'll ask him."He said limping away towards the door, but before he could open it, someone entered in the room.

Auros yelped for the surprise, as he recoiled back. His legs hurting briefly for the sudden strain.

He gazed at the figure that was standing in front of the door: a large earth dragon.

"Ahh, you should be the young dragon that arrived few days ago. Auros is the name right?".Terrador asked gently.

"Yes, sir, but can I ask who are you?"Asked the white dragon a bit confused.

"Oh yes, sorry young one. My name is Terrador, I'm the Earth Guardian of the dragon realms."He pronounced solemnly. At those words a surge of shame coursed trough the young dragon, as he didn't recognise the famous Earth Guardian. He instantly bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Master Terrador I didn't recognise you."He spoke weakly.

"Relax young dragon, I'm here to check how you are doing and also to ask you what are you going to do here in Warfang. Do you have any relatives here, or someone close to you?"Questioned gently the earth dragon.

"I've no relatives left, sir. The only ones I know are Master Spyro and Miss Cynder, which I met few days ago…"He paused.

"And for what I'm going to do here, my idea was to come here to help in some way. Maybe to become a guard or something."

"I think you are a bit too young to become a soldier, but if you wish you could come to the Temple and train there, with Spyro and Cynder. It's always a pleasure to have other young dragons around, especially during this unstable period."Said the Guardian smiling.

Auros was astonished from the offer. He had the possibility to train with the Guardians and with the two heroes of the realms. Excitement rose in his chest, as he stumbled to maintain his composure.

"It would be the greatest honour, Master Terrador."He finally said bowing his head.

"Excellent. Now if your medic will concede, I'd like to accompany you to the temple to show your accommodation."Terrador glanced the mole, which promptly nodded smiling. Terrador turned to exit the room while Auros thanked the doctor.

"Don't forget to come back in few days for a check-up!"Shouted the mole from the door.

"I won't!"Answered Auros.

They both walked along the corridor leading to the main entrance.

"I was hoping to find Spyro and Cynder here, but I was informed they were outside. We should fetch them so we can go together." Said Terrador, but as soon they arrived in the main hall, they found them chatting with Aramis.

"Ah Master Terrador, I was coming to inform you of their arrival, but it seems that you beat me on the time."Said the grey dragoness.

"Indeed this is a lucky casualty, I just said to young Auros that we needed to find them before going to the temple."Said the Earth Guardian smiling.

"We're going back to the temple?But wasn't it destroyed?"Asked quizzically Spyro.

"I think Terrador refers to the Warfang's one."Stated Cynder flatly.

"Oh…"Said Spyro a bit ashamed.

"Right guess, Cynder. We Guardians thought that a fair accommodation would be the minimum to offer you in sign of gratitude."Stated the earth dragon.

"But it wasn't neces…"Spyro was interrupted by Cynder whipping her tail-blade on his rear.

"We gladly accept it, Terrador."Replied Cynder.

"Perfect, now let's head to the Temple, the other guardians are waiting."Said Terrador, heading to the exit. They all saluted Aramis, which also told Spyro to do a check-up in few days, before closing the door.

Their passing trough the city went almost unnoticed fortunately. Some moles stopped by to thank the two young dragons, but Terrador quickly shooed them away.

After a good twenty minutes of slow walking, to accommodate Spyro's and Auros's rhythm, they arrived at the gate of the Warfang Temple.

A sense of familiarity flowed trough the purple dragon, as he watched the great building towering up in the sky. He could recognise the architecture from the original temple: three great arches stood tall over them and over a staircase which ended in a great circular wooden door, guarded by two armoured soldiers. The stairway, as well as the whole structure fitted perfectly the city, with its clear marbles adorned with golden and azure details. Along the stairs there where three sets of golden dragon statues, facing inward, adding glory to the huge structure.

Spyro could only stare in awe at the great building.

"Spyro, are you with us?"Asked Cynder, poking his shoulder.

"Yes, yes. It's just…wow."Said the purple dragon.

They silently walked the steps through the archway, the guards bowing at their arrival, before opening the great door.

As soon as they entered, Spyro's maw dropped.

The interior of the building was more lustrous and elegant than the original temple.

A wide hallway led to the main chamber, illuminated by the daylight filtering trough the great windows over the ceiling, casting bright columns of light that filled the room in a solemn way.

The walls, as well as the floor where of a clear white marble, that reflected the brightness coming from above. The ceiling of the corridor was sustained by several round arches, similar to the ones outside.

Over the walls there were banners of the four different elements hanged on golden supports.

Spyro could hear some familiar voices coming form the end of the corridor.

"I say we should lead them to their original dwellings Cyril. There are families which flee many years ago in this group. Spirits know how many daunting, dreadful, terrorising perils have they faced." Stated Volteer quite worried.

"I know, I know. But you must consider there are also refugees which didn't belong to this city, we must also to arrange them, and we need to account the resources to sustain all this new arrivals. It's not as easy as you say."Contested Cyril.

While the two Guardians kept discussing, the small group arrived in the main hall. Terrador clearing his throat loudly to gain their attention.

"Oh Terrador you came back."Said Cyril.

"And I see you brought with you our young heroes, that's amazing!" Added Volteer.

"Who's the third one, Terrador?" Asked the Ice Guardian leaning his head towards Auros.

"He's Auros, the young dragon that arrived few days ago, you surely remember about that."Said Terrador.

"Of course I do, and it's good to see you recovering so quickly. I've been told you weren't in good shape when you arrived, not bad as Spyro, though."He added smiling at the purple dragon.

"By the way, my name is Cyril, I'm the Guardian of Ice and this old blabbering dragon next to me is Volteer the Electricity Guardian."Concluded Cyril.

Auros bowed his head. "It's an hour to meet you, sir."He stated.

"Seeing their recovery, I decided to bring them here to assign them an accommodation, and to show them a bit of the city."Interrupted Terrador.

"C'mon young ones, let's go."Called the Earth Guardian.

The three young dragons bowed their heads to the two guardians, then followed Terrador trough a large round door near them.

They crossed a long corridor, before taking some stairs that brought them to the upper floors.

Another wide walkway was before them, with a dozens of wooden doors embedded in the walls.

Terrador paused near the second one on the right.

"Here's yours Auros, I hope you will like it." Said the Earth Guardian opening the door.

"I'm sure I will. Thank you for your hospitality."Said Auros entering the room.

"Spyro, Cynder. For your quarters we need to go upstairs."Added Terrador.

"Auros, you want to catch up later?"Asked Spyro before leaving.

"Sure, how about at sundown?" Answered Auros.

"Perfect" Said Spyro leaving.

The young white dragon entered his new dwelling and he pleasantly noticed that it was actually quite large for a single dragon: a medium sized bed was on the left with some cushions disposed over it. On the right there were an empty wooden bookshelf and a small desk. The room ended in a big balcony that faced westward. The whole place wasn't much decorated like the rest of the building, but he didn't care. To him it was actually too much, considering he was being hosted by the Guardians. Auros didn't waste time and dropped himself over the bed and begun to rest.

The trio arrived at the upper floor, which was clearly more luxurious and adorned than the first one. In addition, there were just two doors in the smaller hallway: one in front of another.

Terrador stopped in front of them.

"Here there are your quarters young ones. We arranged them to give you as much space as you need and to make sure that nobody disturbs you during your permanence."Stated Terrador smiling.

"You mean that we have one entire floor just for the two of us?"Asked confused Spyro.

"As I said before, we think that a fair accommodation and a bit of privacy were the minimum that the city should offer to two heroes like you."Said the Earth Guardian while opening one door.

"This one is yours, Spyro".

Spyro and Cynder peeked inside and their jaws fell on the floor.

The room was large at least three times the one in the infirmary, with a great window that brought to a wide balcony. On the right there was a large bed, filled with cushions of all sorts. It looked comfy just by the aspect. Laid near the wall there were some wooden chests, containing things like additional pillows and blankets, clearly for the winter. There were also some bookshelves with a couple of tomes organised over them and a modest stone desk just aside, illuminated by the light of the window. Spyro instantly liked the idea of reading, bathing in the sunlight.

Terrador led them to the next smaller room which contained a big marble bathtub and a large mirror, both put under another wide window which filled with brightness the entire place.

Spyro was so amazed that he almost lost the details of the decorations: the windows as well as the balcony were adorned with purple curtains latched on the side. The walls were embellished with lots of paintings and depictions of nature, animals and dragons.

The Earth guardian led them finally to the wide balcony, which extended by the full length of the room. A gentle breeze coursed though Spyro's scales, sending a light shiver down his spine, as he watched the priceless sight. He could see almost the whole western Warfang from it.

Terrador, watching their expressions, questioned:"Is this of your liking young ones?"

"It's just amazing, thank you Terrador. Are you sure it isn't too much? I mean…"Spyro was stopped by the Earth Guardian:"You don't need to thank us, you deserved it. But I have to ask you a favour before I leave."He paused. Spyro and Cynder watched each other before the Earth guardian continued:"Tomorrow should arrive the first convoy of dragons that evacuated during the conflict, and we Guardians would like to have you two with us for greeting the newcomers."He concluded."Do you think you can manage to join us?"

The two young dragons nodded at each other.

"It would be a pleasure for us" Said Spyro smiling.

"Good, I knew I could count on you. The group should arrive by early morning, we will meet on the western wall by that time. Until then, have a good rest young dragons. You earned it."Said Terrador, leaving for the door.

As soon as the door closed, the two young dragons flew themselves over Spyro's bed, resting one near each other.

* * *

The purple dragon woke up a couple of hours later. He gazed to the window and noticed that it was late afternoon, so there was still time before sundown.

He stirred tiredly before getting up from the bed, putting attention in not waking up the black dragoness that was resting near him.

He stopped a moment to admire her. To Spyro, she seemed so delicate and defenceless when sleeping, even if her razor sharp tail blade and talons told another story.

Her slender form was gently posed over the coloured cushions, her flank raising slowly and evenly.

Spyro lost himself in gazing her and listening her breathing, admiring her obsidian scales reflecting the sunlight filtering through the windows. It reminded him that he actually didn't a proper check-up of himself for a long time now.

He directed to the other room, placing himself in front of the mirror. A frown etched over his face.

His whole body still showed the marks of his last battle: some scars where still visible after all the red gems he absorbed. His scales had lost all the brightness and tone that once where so rich and lustrous as they were still encrusted of dirt and dried blood. A sense of discomfort rose in his chest. He was still a phantom of the war that he ended barely three weeks before.

He slowly walked to the bathtub, watching it quizzically for few moments. He noticed a small golden tap embedded in the marble, near it there was an opening in the wall, just at the height of the bathtub. Spyro used the small staircase to enter the tub. He tried to rotate the tap, but it was unmovable.

"_How in the name of the Ancestors does this thing work?_" He thought to himself.

He spent five good minutes fumbling with the tap, when finally he pulled it and a cold stream of water came flowing trough the opening and into the tub.

Spyro yelped at the chilling sensation. He instantly cursed himself, hoping that he hadn't awaken Cynder, then he tried to rotate the tap to the right and the water became instantly warmer.

He spent the next couple of minutes letting the water flow over his scales to wash away all the dirt. He then sat, closing his eyes and leaning the back to the wall, his muscles gradually relaxing as the warm water filled the tub.

The sound of clicking talons on the marble didn't reach his hears as it was subdued by the water sound.

"What are you doing Spyro?"Cynder asked.

Spyro jolted up from his relaxed form, his eyes wide and his scales reddened by the embarrassment.

"I…I was… a bit dirty so I thought…I could take…a bath?"He muttered uncontrollably.

A smirk etched on Cynder face as she nonchalantly jumped in the bathtub, sending splashes of water all over the place.

Spyro yelped as he found the black dragoness in front of him, her scales glistening by the droplets of water.

He could feel the blood pumping trough his facial scales, as he was flushing red.

She edged closer to him beginning to nuzzle his cheek, he remained still as a statue.

"C'mon Spyro, you need to relax. Just loosen up those muscles."She said, her muzzle still on his cheek. He exhaled heavily, trying to drop all the tension, then he unfurled his left wing around Cynder to bring her closer.

Their chest were now one against each other, Spyro licked her neck gently, moving upward to her cheek, then pulled away; his eyes fixed on hers. He could see all kind of emotions reflected in those emerald gems. Finally Cynder pushed Spyro near the edge of the tub, then she posed her head over his shoulder, as he began to gently caress her neck.

Countless thoughts were rushing in Spyro's head, only subdued by the calming sound of the flowing water.

After an hour or so Spyro and Cynder decided to leave the warm embrace of the filled bathtub and get themselves dried up before meeting Auros for the evening.

There were all sorts of towels and cloths to use to dry up, a luxury that they both never experienced during their relatively short lives. Spyro most of all didn't really know how to use them, he just sat and put one over his shoulders and head like a blanket. This scene caused a loud burst of laughs from Cynder, replied by a deadly glare from the purple dragon.

As soon they got ready they directed towards the door, finding Auros waiting outside in the corridor.

"Good evening, how are you?"He asked.

"Quite relaxed I should say. That bed was incredibly soft. We fell asleep almost instantly."Spyro answered yawning.

"Anyway, where do you want to go this evening, have you got some ideas, Auros?"Asked Cynder expectantly.

"Well, while we were coming here this morning, I spotted what seemed to be a nice food stall just few minutes away from the temple. I thought we could grab something to eat there, then go for a little walk around the city, if our legs permit it." He said glancing towards Spyro.

"I'm sure we will be fine, as long as we don't walk too fast." Said the purple dragon smiling.

"If it's all settled we should go then, I'm actually starving."Said Cynder, pushing Auros towards the stairs.

As the white dragon said, the food stall was only few minutes away from the temple, settled in a little square with a dragon fountain in the middle.

The stall was relatively small, with few wooden tables disposed in the nearing for accommodate the costumers. To Spyro it seemed like a miracle that there were already commercial activities so shortly after the end of the conflict.

They arrived at the counter where a mole was fumbling with some gems and a quill. Then as soon he noticed them, he almost fell out form the stool where he was sitting.

"By the Gods! The Saviour is in my humble stall! What can I do for help you and your friends, Master Spyro?"Asked the mole with shimmering eyes.

Spyro was a little taken aback by the mole behaviour. He was definitely not used to be treated like some kind of hero.

"We would like to heave something to eat, if it is possible…"Said Spyro hesitantly.

"Of course it's possible Master Spyro. Please have a seat I'll come back in few minutes with the best meat you'll ever tasted, tonight offers the house."Said the mole excitedly, running behind in the kitchen.

"Well, I didn't expect such a reaction."Said Spyro, sitting on his haunches near one wooden table disposed outside the stall. Cynder sat in front of him, while Auros beside him.

"I think that everybody feels rightly in debt with you two for the whole, you know, world saving matter. You should begin to get used to this kind of treatment. Both of you actually."Said the white dragon chuckling.

"I'd really like to be treated like a normal dragon for once in my life."Muttered Spyro.

"Well, I think we should enjoy while it last, don't you, Spyro?"Told Cynder, nudging the purple dragon.

"Yea, you're right."

"I wonder about how many dragons will arrive tomorrow, Terrador said it was a small group, but he didn't specify the number."Questioned the purple dragon.

"Let's make a bet! I say they're at least fifty"Proposed Cynder.

"Nah, for me, they're at best thirty-five."Asserted Auros.

"Do I really need to participate? What do I get if I win?" Asked Spyro, hesitant.

""Oh c'mon Spyro where is you sense of fun? I'd say, whoever wins the bet, gets a full dinner offered by the other two here at this stall." Teased Cynder.

"With which money do you intend to pay, we don't have any."Snorted Spyro.

"We'll figure that out later."Answered flatly the black dragoness.

The purple dragon sighed."Fine, I'm in. I'd say they're at least forty."

"Good, it's a bet then."Concluded Cynder.

They spent few other minutes chatting, before the mole returned with three medium platters filled with steaming meat.

"Here we have our house speciality: grilled deer with aromatics herbs. A true joy for the palate."Said the little mammal, posing the platter in front of the dragons.

Cynder's mouth was watering just by the smell. The three young dragons ate with voracity the meat and in matter of few minutes their plates were crystal clear.

"By the Ancestors, that meat was truly the best I've ever tasted."Said Auros leaning over the table.

"Definitely the best, my compliments to whoever did this masterpiece."Said Spyro to the mole.

"Mine too."Added Cynder.

"I'm honoured by your compliments, I'll sure to bring them to our chef."Stated the mole, bowing his head.

"One last thing, what's your name?"Asked the purple dragon.

"It's Ernie, Master Spyro" Said the mole.

"Good to know, your place here is truly amazing. Thank you for hosting us, Ernie".Said Spyro while standing up on his paws.

"It has been the greatest honour in my life."Said the mole, bowing again.

The trio left the stall walking along the main road that brought to the Temple.

The sun had already left the place to the moons, which were shedding their beautiful pale light all across the silent city. The feeble, distant firelight of the rampart torches could be seen even from their position, while also some houses along the streets were dimly lit for the night.

During their walk along the main road, the young dragons passed in the nearing of one of the damaged structures, which was being rebuilt. They noticed that even at that late hour, there were some moles working and accounting for the materials, all of them enlightened by a familiar golden glow.

"Sparx!"Called Spyro.

"Spyro! How do you feel lil' bro?"Asked the dragonfly.

"Better, but not quite in full strength."

"I see you brought also the Deadly Mistress…"Said Sparx flatly.

"If you want I can show you how deadly I can be."Said Cynder almost snarling.

"Geez, Cynder I was joking. Anyway who's whitey there?"Asked the dragonfly, pointing his finger to Auros.

"He's Auros, a new friend of ours."Answered Spyro smiling.

"Auros, this is Sparx my brother."

The white dragon bowed his head."Nice to meet you,Sparx."

"Spyro, I think we should go, we need to get up early tomorrow morning."Said Cynder, nuzzling his cheek.

"Yea, you're right. See you soon Sparx."

"That's sure, we need to discuss some things."

"What kind of things?" Asked Spyro quizzically.

"Oh you'll see. Now off you go. We still have some work to do here."Said Sparx.

"You're the only one who's doing nothing, dragonfly."A mole shouted from behind.

The trio left the place giggling, directing back towards the temple and leaving behind the argue between Sparx and the mole worker.

Spyro and Cynder saluted Auros for the night before reaching their floor. When they arrived in front of the doors, Spyro spoke:"It was a pleasing evening after all, it was a long time since I felt so…Calm."

"Me too, it feels kinda strange. Maybe I just need only some more time to adjust to this new life."

"Well now we have all time that we want."Said the purple dragon, nuzzling her neck.

She liked his cheek, before pulling away."Goodnight Spyro."She said brushing her flank over his.

"Goodnight Cynder."He answered, watching her disappear in her room.

He sat still for few more moments, staring blankly at her door, when all of a sudden he dropped on the floor, like a dead body.

He woke up an indefinite time later, strangely tired. He gazed around himself trying to recall what happened, but his mind was completely blank.

"_What in the name of the Ancestors happened?_"He asked himself.

He managed to stand up and enter his room, before dropping his body on the bed.

"_Maybe I was just very tired…_"

Lastly he gazed to the windows, noticing that the moons were still up in the sky. Maybe he could still get some rest. And without further hesitation he drifted into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 - New Additions

**Hi here we have a new chapter. I hope to be able to post the new one every Sunday or so until October. Thanks to who reviewed the last chapters. I really appreciated the feedback. In this one I'm introducing two new main characters. Hope you'll enjoy it, let me know.**

**-Azotac**

Clouds were covering the morning sky, as few slender sun rays were filtering through them, casting bright gold pillars that gave the landscape a surreal aspect.

Everything was silent and asleep in Warfang, apart for five lonely figures positioned over the western rampart, gazing the horizon.

The three guardians were in the middle, accompanied by two captains of the Warfang Army.

They all stood in complete silence, contemplating the beautiful scenery in front of them, the two soldiers also waiting for something to happen.

Then, a sound of clicking talons caught their attention, as two small figures approached from the big staircase that gave access to the rampart.

"Spyro, Cynder. What a perfect timing." Said Cyril, bowing his head to the two young dragons.

"Yea, it took us a while to walk all the city from the temple."Panted Spyro, a slight pain diffusing in his right leg.

"We are sorry for putting you under strain, Spyro, but your presence here today is of great importance."Said Terrador.

"In addition, if you don't feel confident enough in returning on your paws by the end of the meeting, one of our trusted captains here could bring you back to the temple by flight."Said Volteer, gesturing to the two guards behind him.

Spyro gazed at them briefly: one was a fire dragon, he guessed it by his slender yet muscular figure and the fiery red scales that were visible beneath his armour. Two pairs of bone-white horns jagged out of his head, slightly curving upward. His golden eyes were scrutinising the purple dragon curiously.

The other one instead was clearly an Earth dragon. He was bulkier than his fire comrade and he stood tall as Terrador. His green moss scales were in stark contrast with his two ram-like crimson horns. His brown eyes were directed to Cynder, with a blank expression.

Both soldiers were wearing a full body golden and white armour, with a small red drape coming down from the chest. It was clearly a celebratory suit, as it seemed to be too heavy to be used in combat.

Finally the fire dragon broke the silence and stepped out, bowing his head to the young dragons.

"Greetings young ones. It's an honour to meet you. My name is Ashen, and I'm the captain of the Temple Guard. While my Earth friend here is Baldur, captain of the Warfang Guard."

The two young dragons bowed their heads in response."It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."Answered Spyro.

"Dragons incoming!"Called Baldur with his deep voice.

The small group all turned their gaze toward west, as they too spotted some black figures coming towards the city.

Cynder almost held her breath for the most of waiting time, as a mix of anticipation and fear was coursing though her. She turned her gaze to Spyro, who smiled fondly at her, trying to extend his right wing over her. She helped him getting closer, brushing her flank over his, a smile never leaving his face.

They waited another few minutes when finally the group landed over one platform in the nearing of the rampart, behind Warfang's now safe walls.

The welcome committee approached them, Cynder glimpsed two young dragons hidden behind the adults' legs and wings, but they quickly faded from her view.

"Welcome to Warfang my friends, who's your leader?"Asked Terrador with a loud voice.

The group instantly became quiet, a pale yellow figure emerged from the small crowd.

He was clearly an Electricity dragon, tall as the guardians, but visibly older. He had a light grey chest, horns and wings.

"Greetings my comrades. My name is Fulmus and I'm the 'leader' of this group, Master Terrador."Spoke the electricity dragon.

"Very well, how many are you exactly?"Asked the Earth Guardian.

"We're a gran total of thirty-nine dragons, sir."Answered the yellow dragon.

"_Only_ _Thirty-nine? So nobody won the bet?_"Thought Cynder.

Fulmus's gaze shifted between the welcomers, finally posing on the two young dragons near them. His eyes immediately widened.

"By the Ancestors, the purple dragon is here!"Exclaimed the Electricity dragon.

In matter of few moments all those thirty-nine pair of eyes shifted towards Spyro, gazing him intensely. Then all of them bowed their heads to the purple dragon, almost like they were praying him.

Spyro felt extremely uncomfortable by that display.

"You don't need to do this. Please keep your heads up, I'm not more important than you are."He told to the dragons in front of him.

They all raised their heads, some of them smiling at the display of humility by the great Saviour, some others a bit confused. The Guardians instead watched him with a proud gaze.

"Ahem, Volteer, Cyril? Would you like to escort our friends to the Great Hall, I'm sure they're all hungry and tired. Baldur will help you."Interrupted Terrador.

"Yes Terrador. C'mon you all, follow my lead. Baldur, you stay on the tail."Shouted Cyril, taking the air.

Fulmus stood behind with Terrador, his eyes now fixed on Cynder. He was watching her with an unreadable expression. After few moments he questioned:"Master Terrador, can I ask why is she here?"

"Who, Cynder? Why shouldn't she be here? She's been with Spyro since the beginning of the war, and helped him defeat the Dark Master. The young dragoness deserves our hospitality and protection."Stated Terrador.

"Even after all she has done to our race, you offer her to stay in our capital?"

"Don't you remember what Ignitus told to all of you while our two young dragons were missing? She was just a poor child controlled by Malefor."

"A poor child who's army slaughtered thousands of dragons."He broke.

"_Ignitus…_"That name broke into Spyro's mind like a thunder. He stood silent near Cynder while the discussion went on.

"I repeat, that wasn't her fault. She has proven multiple times to be a trustful dragoness."Answered Terrador.

Fulmus paused for few moments, his piercing gaze never leaving the black dragoness, who was feeling clearly intimidated. The yellow dragon's eyes finally shifted towards Spyro.

"Master Spyro, do you trust her?"He questioned. The purple dragon raised his head, gazing directly into Fulmus eyes with a determined stare.

"I trust her with my own life. She saved me multiple times and she risked her own safety to bring me back to Warfang after our battle with the Dark Master."He paused.

"She never deserved all the hate she received during these years. And I'll do everything in my power to prevent that to happen again."He concluded.

Fulmus stood silent for few moments, his eyes never leaving the purple dragon.

"Very well, I trust your words young dragon. Now if you excuse me, I'd like to join my comrades in the great hall."He said, shifting his gaze towards Terrador.

"Of course. I will accompany you. Ashen, would you like to escort our young heroes back to the temple?"

"Yes, Master Terrador!"He answered, while the two older dragons took flight.

The two young dragons gazed the red dragon near them.

"Master Spyro, would you like to be carried to the temple, or you prefer to go by paws?"Questioned Ashen.

"Please don't call me like that, Spyro is enough."Said the purple dragon.

"If it's not a problem for you to carry me back, you would do me a favour."He continued.

"As you wish, Spyro."Said the red dragon, lowering down to permit the purple dragon to climb on his back.

"Hold tight young one!"Said Ashen.

"Yessir"

Then in an instant, the fire dragon took flight with Cynder following closely. A mixture of excitement and freedom coursed trough Spyro, as he gazed at the awakening city below him.

The sun now was starting his ascension trough the sky, shedding its warmth all over Warfang.

Spyro felt the instinct of open his wings, to soar over the world like he used to do, to feel free like he used to be, but then the rationality came back into his head. If he tried to fly now, he would surely fall ruinously to the ground, due to his still weak wing. He limited himself to hold tight at the armour of the red dragon carrying him and enjoy the amazing view from above.

The flight took them just few minutes. Ashen landed softly in front of the main gate of the temple, letting Spyro hop down from his back.

"Here you are young ones, thank you for your presence today."Said the fire dragon.

"Thank you for the lift, Ashen. It's been a pleasure to meet you."Answered Spyro.

The red dragon bowed his head and turned to leave, when Cynder called him:"Ashen could you wait a minute?"

"Yes, Cynder, what do you need?"Asked the red dragon.

The black dragoness waited few moments before answering. She collected all the courage she had."I want to know if I hurt someone close to you, during the war. If yes I want you to know that I'm extremely sorry for that."She said with a subdued voice.

Ashen paused for few seconds, watching her miserably, then sighed.

"I'll be honest, I lost lots of dear friends and relatives during this insane conflict. Many of them fell under your army. I was angry at you at the beginning. I remember that every time you arrived over the battlefield, every hope just vanished, as fear and terror simply overwhelmed us."He paused, facing the stone beneath his paws.

"I wanted to see you die in the most dire and painful way, like my brethren did, but the former Fire Guardian, Ignitus, made me change my mind. He knew that you, like all of us, were just a victim of Malefor's evilness. It took me sometime but I accepted it, and now I live better. And seeing you finally living your life makes me happy." He smiled fondly at the two young dragons.

Cynder was simply astonished by those words and by the kindness of that dragon. She felt few silent tears streaming down from her eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you for your comprehension."She murmured.

The red dragon, bowed his head and then left, directing into the temple.

The two young dragons stayed in the courtyard for few more minutes, Spyro staying close to Cynder, covering her with one wing. After she managed to calm herself down, they entered the temple directing to their rooms.

"Do you need some company, Cynder?" Asked Spyro nuzzling her cheek.

"No, I'm fine, just need to rest a bit. See you later."She answered.

"Just call me if you need anything"

"I will, thank you."

Then they both entered their rooms.

Spyro walked to his balcony, sitting in the shade. He then closed his eyes, trying to recap what happened that morning: all the new dragons, the new acquaintances. But there was a name that kept echoing in his head.

"_Ignitus…_"He focused his mind on the first dragon he ever met, the dragon who taught him to fly, the dragon who gave his life to save him and the dragoness he loves.

"_I will forever miss you…_" A silent tear ran down his cheek. He left himself drag by the emotions, drifting away in his mind.

A loud knock came from the door, breaking away his train of thoughts.

"Master Spyro? Are you there?"An unfamiliar voice called.

Spyro, a little disoriented, gazed around him. Now the sun was far up in the sky.

"_How long did I stay here?_"He asked himself.

"Master Spyro?"The voice called again.

The purple dragon groaned, leaving for the door. When he opened it, he found a mole waiting, beside him there was Cynder.

"Spyro did you fall asleep?I was getting worried."Said Cynder.

"Yea, it seems so."He murmured, clearly not convinced of his answer.

"Sorry to bother you, Master Spyro, but the Guardians asked me to send you two to the Great Hall to have lunch. Your friend, Auros I think it was his name, is waiting outside the Temple."Said the mole.

"Oh, thank you."Said the purple dragon.

The mole bowed his head, then left for the stairs. Cynder closed to Spyro, nuzzling his cheek.

Noticing that he was still thoughtful, she asked him softly: "Hey, is everything ok? You know you can talk with me of anything, right?"

"…Yes, thank you. But it's nothing, really."He answered, licking her cheek.

"Ok, now let's go. I'm really hungry."She said, speeding to the stairs.

The two young dragons reached the temple courtyard where there were Auros and a soldier waiting for them.

"Hi Spyro, hi Cynder." Said the white dragon.

They both saluted back, then turned to the soldier. Cynder recognised him almost instantly. He was the same guard that she met with Aramis at the infirmary.

The blue dragon bowed his head at the couple.

"Greetings, young ones. My name is Cyreus, lieutenant of the Warfang Guard. Is my duty to escort you to the Great Hall."Said the soldier, gazing at the two young heroes.

"Nice to meet you, Cyreus."Said Spyro.

Without another word the group started walking trough the streets of the city.

"The great hall is not far from here, and it is, beside the Temple, the most important place in the city. It's usually used as a meeting place for all the citizens and as a dining hall, but in rare occasions it can be utilised to host great gatherings and feasts."Said Cyreus.

As the guard promised, they reached the Great Hall in few minutes of walking.

It was indeed a great building, but unlike the Temple, which developed on more floors, the structure instead expanded on a wide single floor.

The exterior style was very similar to the Temple's. All the walls were made of solid clear marble, adorned with some Warfang banners. The facade was embellished with several golden statues representing dragons in various poses, all placed over a long canopy supported by a series of tall columns.

They entered the main door, Spyro's eyes curiously exploring the interior of the building.

An array of wide windows illuminated the whole place. The wide hall was arranged with a number of wooden tables placed neatly in rows. At the end of the hall he could see a counter where there were some moles departing with trays full of platters.

"Spyro, Cynder!"A familiar voice exclaimed.

They turned around to see who called them. It was Volteer, accompanied by two young dragonesses, apparently of the same ages of the two heroes.

"I see you finally arrived for lunchtime, perfect timing! Oh, there's Auros too, amazing! "Said the Guardian with his usual smile etched on his face." With me there are Nix and Gaia. Two young dragonesses arrived this morning with the convoy. Please darlings introduce yourself."

The first one stepped in:"My name is Gaia and I'm an Earth dragoness. Nice to meet you."She said with a confident voice, her golden eyes watching directly Spyro. Cynder noticed it, and began to study her from nose to tail.

She had the clear physical structure of an Earth dragoness, she was bulkier than Cynder and her friend, but she was still keeping a feminine look. Her scales were of a deep forest green, while her chest and underbelly had a light brown hue. Two pairs of straight horns sprouted from her head, slightly curving downward, they were of the same colour as her chest. Her golden eyes bore a determined and strong gaze. Cynder felt a weird sensation coursing through her, she had a feeling that she could have 'problems' with her in the future.

The other dragoness stepped in more shyly, almost protecting herself behind the earth dragoness.

"My name is Nix, I'm an Ice dragoness."She paused briefly, then forced a strained smile. "It's an honour to meet you."She then bowed her head, clearly referring to Spyro and Cynder.

Auros was strangely drawn by the dragoness appearance. Her slender and elegant form fitted perfectly the standard Ice dragoness's physical structure. Her scales were of a translucent light-blue hue. Three pairs of silver horns sprouted from her head, curving upward and a bit inwards. A shape that almost resembled a crown. Her chest and underbelly shared the same colours as the horns. Their eyes met briefly, but parted immediately for embarrassment.

"Please"Said Cynder"There's no need of such formalities. Anyway my name is Cynder."She said smiling.

"Mine's Spyro."Said the purple dragon, also him with a grin on his face.

"I'm Auros, nice to meet you." Said the white dragon.

"Perfect, now that the presentations are done, would you like to get something to eat? I'm sure that all of you are pretty hungry." Said Volteer smiling.

The young dragons all nodded.

"Marvellous, now follow me. Let's get you youngster somewhere to accommodate."

The Electricity Guardian led them to an empty table."Here, have a seat. Now I'm sorry, but I have to leave you. Have a nice time and a good lunch young ones."Without another word, he left.

An awkward silence fell over the youngsters' table. Finally Cynder spoke.

"Sooo…Gaia, Nix, if I may ask, where do you actually come from?"She asked.

"Well, me and my family lived here in Warfang. We left the city few weeks before the assault. We flee with other families to north-west towards the mountains past Avalar. There we found another group of refugees, and that's when I met Nix."Said Gaia, gazing her friend.

"Yea that's true. My family and I lived in a small village on the slopes of the mountains, but we were attacked by the grublins, so we were forced to escape and hide in the caves at high altitude. Those monsters didn't push that far."Continued the ice dragoness.

"I see. Are your families alright?"Asked Cynder, as a bit of anguish began to rise in her chest.

"My father stood back in Warfang when we left, 'cause he is a soldier. I haven't seen him yet, but one guard told me that he's alive and well. I think my mother is looking for him right now, so I'll wait here until they arrive."Said the earth dragoness.

"My family too is mostly ok, but since we didn't live here before, we need to be relocated somewhere in the city, and my mother was severely injured to one leg during the attack at my village. Since then she's not been able to walk properly. It is a luck that there's my dad that takes care of her."Concluded Nix.

Cynder anguish completely faded away as soon as the azure dragoness finished talking.

At least she wasn't responsible for the death of another of her friends' family.

"Enough talking about us."Gaia's eyes darted towards the purple dragon, in an inquisitive way.

"Can you tell us how the heck did you defeat Malefor and recomposed the planet?"She asked.

Spyro and Cynder watched each other. Finally Spyro exhaled heavily and began to recount their journey since waking up from the time crystal.

The dragonesses, as well as Auros, remained completely astonished by the narration of the two young dragons. It seemed almost impossible that the couple survived all the perils and extremes difficulties that they faced and still came out victorious.

"So, let me understand well…You defeated Malefor, the most powerful dragon in the whole history, in a fight to death deep into the planet. Then Spyro began to float in mid-air and pulled back the world together, almost dying during the process?"Said Gaia.

Spyro and Cynder nodded in unison.

"Wow…That's, wow."Said the earth dragoness.

"I guess that Malefor wasn't the strongest dragon in the whole history after all…"Said Auros smiling at his friends.

They were interrupted by a mole waiter posing some filled platters on the table. The inebriating smell of meat filling their nostrils.

The youngster thanked the waiter, then began to eat.

After finishing their meal, they left the table and approached to the main door of the great hall.

"Well, thank you for the company, but we got to stay here and wait for our parents to return."Said Gaia.

"Thank you too. Hope to see you girls soon."Said Spyro.

Cynder gave a strange look to the purple dragon, but he didn't notice.

"_What is this feeling…_"She though to herself, while leaving the hall.

She followed the two males that were quietly chatting about the check-up they needed to do the following day.

"_Could it be jealousy?But why? He already told that he loves me…I need to be sure…_"She kept thinking.

"Cynder, it's all ok?"Asked Spyro, breaking her train of thoughts.

"Yea, yea. I'm fine, just thinking…"She answered.

They arrived at the temple before she could notice it. They crossed the main gate and then the large corridor directing towards their rooms. They noticed two male adult dragons going in their opposite direction trough the corridor. They were an Earth soldier and an Ice dragon. They both smiled at their passing, but nothing more.

The small group proceeded, arriving in the main chamber of the temple, where they found Terrador waiting for them.

"Ah, young dragons welcome back. Had a good meal?"He asked gently.

They all nodded.

"Actually I'm sorry, we Guardians should have advised you about the food service of the great hall, but you were already out yesterday night."He said.

"No problem, Terrador. The owner of the stall offered us the dinner yesterday night, so it's all ok."Stated Cynder.

"Terrador, can I ask you who were the dragons that were leaving the Temple?"Questioned Spyro.

"Actually I was coming to this subject. Those dragons are the fathers of the two new dragonesses arrived today."He said

"Now, seeing your good recovery and the arrival of those young ones, we Guardians decided, if it's ok for you, to begin the training as soon as you complete your check-up."Continued the Earth Guardian.

"You mean tomorrow, Terrador?"Asked Spyro.

"Exactly. I'm certain that the medics will be able to ensure that your wing will be fine. As well for your hind legs, Auros."Reinsured the Earth Elder.

"Well, if you say so, I trust you."Said the purple dragon.

"Nice. Now excuse me, young ones, but I need to reach Cyril and help him redirect the new arrivals, or he's going to bother me to death for not helping him."Said Terrador speeding trough the corridor. Spyro and Cynder giggled, while Auros remained a bit stunned by the confidence and the lack of formality of the Guardians. It was something that he wasn't used to see, but in reality he was enjoying it. Surely it was better than the rigid, almost military regime, that he expected to find in Warfang.

Finally the group split up in the first floor, with Auros entering his room to rest a bit.

As soon as his door closed, Cynder wrapped gently her tail around Spyro's neck. A mischievous grin etched on her face.

"Cynder!? What are you…"Spyro was interrupted by Cynder beginning to pull him to the stairs.

"Hush, you'll see."She said, continuing to drag him.

The purple dragon didn't dare to ask any other questions.

They arrived at their floor, Cynder pulled Spyro to her door, shoving him inside. She followed closely, pushing him over her bed, then jumping on him.

When she had pinned him down, she began to lick the base of his neck.

"Cy..Cynder what are you doing?"He asked, clearly embarrassed.

She kept going, moving up to his muzzle. Spyro didn't know what was happening, but of one thing he was sure. He was enjoying it. Carried away, he begun to lick her muzzle too. She cooed pleased. They kept going for sometimes before she finally dropped over him, hugging her purple dragon tightly.

"That was…intense."He said.

"I just wanted to have some fun, did you like it?"She asked.

"Of course I did, but you didn't need to be so rough."He chuckled.

"It was just to spice up things a little bit."She answered.

They both chuckled, smiling fondly at each other.

"I love you, Cynder."He said finally.

"I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9 - Scars

Spyro woke up curled near Cynder. He looked around himself, but he couldn't see much, because it was still night-time. He laid his head onto one cushion, trying to go back to sleep, but no rest came to him. Groaning, he stood up, directing to the balcony. He sat on the stone floor with his nose aiming up in the sky and his gaze lost in the stars. He could have passed the rest of his life admiring them, counting them. He was told that every celestial body was the soul of a valorous dragon of the past, illuminating the darkest of the nights with their light. One particular star caught his attention, it was brighter than the others, its colour shifted form a warm white to a reddish tone. His thoughts flew to Ignitus once again, his eyes now closed.

"_I hope the Ancestors welcomed you at open arms._"Spyro thought, leaving his feelings taking on.

He then felt a presence, a warmth beside him, like an emanation from a body.

"_Spyro, my boy…"_A familiar voice called for him.

A swirl of emotions grasped Spyro's chest as he opened his eyes to look for the source of the call, but what he saw stunned him. He glimpsed his own body, staying still on the balcony, illuminated by the dim lights of the Celestial Moons.

"_Spyro…_"The voice called again.

The purple dragon turned around and he finally saw him.

An elder dragon stood in front of him, his scales were of a light blue, shifting to white in some parts. It took a moment to Spyro to realise that Ignitus was in front of him, right now.

He ran towards the blue dragon, hugging his left foreleg tightly, tears of joy streaming form his eyes.

"Ignitus is that really you?"Asked Spyro sobbing.

"_Yes my boy, it is I_"He said smiling.

"But I thought…we all thought we lost you in the Belt of Fire…how…"Spyro was speechless.

"_I'm sorry Spyro, I actually died in the Belt of Fire, but my soul was saved by the Chronicler. Which passed to me his duty for this age. Now, I keep watch over all of you._"Said the elder gazing the stars.

"That's amazing, Ignitus…"The purple dragon said astonished.

"_Oh my boy, what is truly amazing is what you and Cynder have accomplished. As I told you many times, you never cease to amaze me._"Said Ignitus.

They stood together for few moments, before the elder spoke again.

"_Spyro, I'm extremely sorry, but I have to leave you now._"

"But why, you just arrived."Said Spyro, almost begging.

"_I know, but this ethereal form doesn't permit me to stay here for long._"He paused.

"_Remember, young dragon, I will be by your side, now and forever. You need to stay strong for all of the world, you're the only light in these still dark times. Never lose you strength and faith in the ones you love…_"Concluded Ignitus, his form fading away.

Spyro opened abruptly his eyes, panting heavily. Was it just a dream or he really did met the mentor he thought he had lost forever? With his head now full of thoughts, he went back on Cynder's bed. He admired her once again, Ignitus's words floating back in his mind. "_Never lose faith in the ones you love… It will never happen, I promise._"He said in his head.

He then licked the black dragoness forehead and posed his head on one cushion, drifting into sleep.

The morning came as soon as he closed his eyes. Birds' singing coming from the open window, as a timid ray of sun filtered trough the black curtains. He felt Cynder beginning to stir beside him, as she too was waking up.

"Good morning Cynder." He said, nuzzling her cheek.

She grunted pleased, as she reciprocate the cuddling.

"Good morning, purple boy."She said giggling.

"So, by which time you need to be in the infirmary?"She asked wearily .

"I don't know, maybe I should ask Auros if he knows-"He was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

"Miss Cynder?"A voice called.

The two young dragons watched each other silently.

"Yes?"She answered, nudging Spyro to her bathroom.

"Do you know where's Master Spyro? He isn't in his room…"Continued the voice coming from behind the entrance. Cynder approached the door and opened it, revealing a mole with a worried frown on his face.

"No, I don't know where he is, maybe he just woke up early…"She said, Spyro silently giggling to himself.

"I looked all around the Temple but I didn't find him. Should I alert the Guardians?"Asked worried the mole.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found. I'm sure he will be back soon." She said smiling.

"Ok Miss Cynder. If you see him, could you tell that he's expected at the infirmary in thirty minutes for his check-up? I already notified the other young dragon."Stated the mole.

"Yes, of course. Thank you for telling me. Have a nice day." Said Cynder, closing the door.

"You too, Miss Cynder."Concluded the mole.

As soon as the door closed Spyro came back from the bathroom.

"Well, at least I know when I have to be there."Said Spyro shrugging.

"And we almost got caught. I don't think that the Guardians would approve us sleeping together."Said Cynder frowning.

"Yea, you're right. Now I should get going, I don't want to be late. Would you like to accompany me?"Said the purple dragon.

"Sure, if you want it."Replied Cynder.

"Of course, now we got to fetch Auros and we should be good to go."Stated Spyro, reaching for the door.

Once opened he found the white dragon waiting outside his entrance, in the process of knocking.

Auros turned around, a surprised smile tinted on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I…Interrupt something?I was coming to ask you if you wanted to come with me to the infirmary."Said the white youngster.

Both Spyro and Cynder flushed red, their glances parting.

"We were actually coming to get you before leaving."Said the purple dragon."And no, you didn't interrupt anything…"He continued smiling.

"Oh, ok."Answered Auros." I think we should hurry, though, it will take some time to walk to the infirmary from here."Said the white dragon.

Without another word the three youngsters left the temple with a speedy pace.

They crossed the courtyard, directing to the main street. Meanwhile two lone figures where watching the trio from above.

"There she is, perfectly directing to our trap."Said the first one.

"Yea, but there's also the purple dragon with her, you think it's still safe to proceed?"Asked the second one, a bit scared.

"Totally, the purple whelp may be strong, but now he's still recovering. He won't be much of a problem, if he's smart he will stand aside. Now come, let's follow them, we need to stick to the plan." Answered the first one.

The two dragons darted up in the air, maintaining the distance from their target.

In the meantime, the three young dragons crossed one of the main squares of the city, and directed to the big garden that preceded the infirmary.

They entered the place, where an adult dark grey dragon was waiting for them.

He walked to the trio, which already noticed him. The dragon stopped in front of them.

Before he could talk, Spyro intervened:"Sorry, my friend, but we're a bit in a hurry. We cannot stop right now."

"Oh, I think you will instead."Retorted the dragon.

He slammed his forepaws to the ground. In front of him, three pillars of rock erupted from the earth and just few centimetres from the young dragons.

They tried to back up, but other two dragons landed in front of them, stopping their escape.

"Where do you think you are going, little whelps?" A dark red dragons menaced.

The trio recoiled and stepped back to the middle of the garden.

"What do you want from us?"Asked Spyro snarling, assuming the best defensive pose he could manage to do, his companions doing the same.

The three dragons where in front of them, moving closer.

"We're not here for you, purple whelp, but for the black monster behind you." Answered the grey dragon snarling, his glare fixed on Cynder.

"Give her to us, and nobody will be hurt." Intervened the third pale-green dragon.

"Why should I come with you?" Asked Cynder.

"To answer for your crimes!" Retorted the red dragon.

"I think you don't know who you're talking to."Stated flatly Auros. His wings also now raised to a defensive position in front of Cynder.

"Shut up you whelp, or I will close that mouth of yours for a long time."Snarled the pale-green one, moving to his right.

"Basalt, we should make this quick, before anyone notices their delay."Suggested the red dragon.

"Right…"Said the grey dragon, inching closer to the young ones.

Cynder was actually paralysed, three unknown dragons were menacing her friends because of her and she was doing nothing. She thought how they could escape this situation, but failed to see any way. She couldn't use the shadows because she could carry one dragon at a time, and they were almost completely surrounded, as the wall of the garden was getting closer during their retreat.

"Cynder!"Spyro's call broke her train of thoughts.

The fight had already begun. The grey dragon was threateningly slashing his front paws to the purple one, who was deflecting the hits with his horns. Auros too was defending himself with his horns and wings, not daring to attack.

The red dragon attacked Spyro on the left, forcing him to leave down his defences on the centre.

Basalt caught the occasion and swinged his right paw towards Cynder, Spyro noticed it and moved his head in front of his black dragoness taking a direct strike on his left cheek.

The purple dragon tumbled on the green grass of the garden, as silence fell over the place.

"SPYRO!" Screamed Cynder, running towards him.

"Basalt! Are you out of your mind? We said not to hurt the purple one! We're screwed!"Said the green dragon."I'm leaving before the guards arrive!"He continued.

The grey dragon was sitting still one the grass, gazing at his right paw, droplets of blood staining his talons.

"I'm leaving too…"Said the red dragon darting up in the air, behind his green companion.

"Wait, you idiots, come back here!"Roared Basalt. Noticing his sudden inferiority, he turned to leave, but he was stopped by a pillar of fire erupting in front of him.

"You are not going anywhere."Shouted Auros. He then spit few globules of ice towards the grey dragon's paws, immobilising him.

"What the fuck!?"Roared Basalt.

The white dragon ignored him, directing towards his friends.

"Spyro are you ok?"Asked Cynder to the purple dragon.

"Yea…. My head is spinning just a little."He said standing up, some blood running down from the gashes on his cheek.

The white dragon puffed a small layer of ice over his wound, before addressing them:"Guys,I think we should leave before he frees himself."Suggested Auros and without wasting anymore time they left the garden running as fast as they could, leaving behind a roaring grey dragon.

The small group arrived panting at the infirmary, welcomed by a clearly concerned Aramis.

"My dears, why are you so weary?"She asked softly. She then glanced to the purple dragon, who had those three gashes on his cheek, just below his eyes, patched with a thin layer of ice that contained the bleeding.

"By the Ancestors! What happened to you?"She asked worriedly, getting closer to Spyro to inspect the wound.

"We were attacked by three adult dragons, they wanted to get Cynder and 'make her answer for her past crimes.'"Said Auros, watching apprehensively his friends.

Aramis gasped, a deep frown etched on her face as she called two moles nurses to help Spyro.

"Go with them, they're going to fix you up and complete your check-up, young Auros you should too go with him. I'm gonna notify the Guardians."Stated the light-grey dragoness.

The two young dragons nodded and followed closely the moles, while Aramis remained with Cynder.

"Young dragoness, would you like to accompany me to the Temple to describe what happened?"Asked gently the medic.

It took Cynder few instants to answer, then she finally nodded.

"Perfect, now let's go, we have sometime before my medics finish with your friends."Said Aramis.

The two dragonesses left the building, taking flight and directing south towards the Temple.

* * *

Spyro and Auros were brought in a similar room to the one they both had during their convalescence, the doctors made them sit on a cushion and exited the room, leaving the two young dragons alone. Both remained silent for few instants, before Spyro broke the calm.

"Thank you for your help before. I thought I could handle those three and make them leave, but the situation escalated rather quickly. So thank you for helping us."Muttered Spyro.

"No need to thank me, I just did what a friend would do, right?"Said Auros smiling.

"I guess so…"Paused the purple dragon.

"Another thing… Am I wrong, or did you use two elements during the fight?"Asked inquisitively Spyro.

"Well…yes. I have affinity with ice and fire. I really don't know why, but I think it's a way to balance my…Handicap with red gems…"Said the white dragon.

"Handicap?"Asked quizzically his purple friend.

"Yea, red gems have a weird effect on me. They actually cure my wounds, but the process is pretty painful and mostly unpleasant to say the least."Sighed Auros.

"I see, but why din't you tell us earlier about it? We could ask to Volteer if he has already seen something similar to your case…He may be able to find a solution in the future."Stated Spyro with a comforting smile.

"In addition, I think that he would be thrilled to work with a dragon that can wield more than one element and it's not a purple dragon. He's gonna study you from tail to muzzle, that's granted!"Chuckled the purple dragon.

"Actually, it would be the first time that my difference is not treated like a birth defect. You know, for the brief time that I spent with my family during my childhood, I remember that most of the other dragons saw this affinity of mine like something bad, that dirtied the ice-dragon bloodline of my family. Of course, for what I recall, my parents thought I was special or something and they always defended me. Let's say that those weren't pleasant times…But that's water under the bridge now."Stated Auros, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"I'm sorry to hear that, you know… I also had a similar experience during my own childhood. I was raised by a family of dragonflies and…"

"Dragonflies? Oh, now I understand why you knew that little one that evening."Interrupted the white dragon.

"Exactly. Anyway I was raised as a dragonfly and I legitimately thought that I was one of them… A big, scaly and purple one."

"I tried to live as a dragonfly, but anytime I tried to do something, someone got hurt or something got destroyed. Luckily for me, my parents loved me in spite of everything."He paused, watching his white friend.

"So trust me, I know how does it feel to be different."Concluded Spyro.

Auros gazed his friend with a grateful smile, before the door got opened.

Four moles entered the room, interrupting their talk, two of them with a handful of red and green gems. The first two directed towards the purple dragon.

"Well, young one, let's get you fixed up before we check out that wing of yours."Said the doctor.

He took some red gems and pushed them beside the dragon's cheek. The wound immediately began to close, as the gems slowly dissipated.

Meanwhile, another two nurses were inspecting closely Auros.

"Could you please stand up?"Asked the mole.

The white dragon nodded and obeyed the doctor. The physician moved closer to his hind legs, inspecting the scars. After some seconds, he began massaging the muscles, a frown etched on his face.

"Hmmm, the wounds are completely healed, but your muscles still remain tense and contracted. Let's see if we can soften them."He said, continuing to massage the white dragon's legs.

"Val, help me out with the other one."He added.

The other mole nodded and moved to his other side and begun massaging Auros's other leg.

"This may gonna hurt, but trust me, it's going to work."Stated finally the doctor.

A feeling of awkwardness was beginning to flow trough the white dragon, as those two moles were touching him were nobody ever did before.

Spyro chuckled watching his friend getting fixed up, while his doctor took up his wing and begun to examine it. The mole begun to finger the bones and the joints, to feel if the tissues correctly recomposed and the bones were all in the right place. After few minutes of careful observation the mole smiled at the purple dragon.

"Well, Master Spyro, it seems that your wing has healed correctly. I think that few red gems will be enough to permit you to fly again."Said the doctor, handling some crimson crystals.

Spyro felt as if a boulder was lifted from his chest, replaced by a renewed excitement. The mole pushed the gems to his wing, making them dissipate immediately at the contact.

The purple dragon exercised his right wing, feeling it more responsive and sort of lighter than before.

"You need to be careful and not strain it too much yet. I advise you to use them to glide and fly for brief periods of time during your training or to move around the city. In few days you'll be able to use them completely." Concluded the small mammal.

"Thank you for your help."Said Spyro, bowing his head to the doctor.

"I just did my job, young one."He answered.

The two young dragons bowed their head again to the medics, before leaving the infirmary.

They exited the door, the morning sun shining bright over them. Auros watched his purple friend smiling.

"I think we should reach Cynder and Aramis to the Temple."Stated the white dragon.

"Yea, good idea."Spyro watched his companion, a grin etching on his face.

"The last one goes against Cynder in training!"Said the purple dragon, darting up in the sky.

"Wait, what!?"Auros said confused. Soon he realised his lag from his friend and immediately took flight, chasing Spyro.

* * *

Cynder and Aramis arrived at the Temple in a couple of minutes after leaving the landed softly in the courtyard and walked through the staircase and to the two guards bowed their heads and opened the great door, letting in the two crossed the long corridor, before arriving in the main hall of the Temple, where Terrador and Volteer were discussing.

Aramis cleared her throat to gain the attention of the Guardians.

"Aramis, Cynder, good morning! What can we do for you?"Said Terrador.

"We came here for denounce an aggression, suffered by our young dragoness here and her two friends."Said Aramis with a cold voice.

The two Guardians immediately frowned.

"Aggression? Did anyone get hurt? By the Ancestors this is intolerable! Absolutely uncivilised and-"Volteer was stopped by Terrador.

"Calm down, my friend. Let the young dragoness speak."

The Earth Guardian inched closer to Cynder.

"Could you please describe clearly what happened?" He asked softly.

Cynder paused for few moments before she begun to talk.

"We were going to the infirmary, when a grey dragon stopped us. Spyro politely tried to shoo him away, but he blocked us with his Earth power. We tried to run away, but two other dragons landed behind, surrounding us. They told that they wanted me to go with them to answer for my…"She paused." My crimes during the war. Of course we refused and they begun to attack us. Spyro defended me and he got hurt."Her voice beginning to get feeble."After that two of them flee, while the grey one, Basalt was his name, was trapped by Auros. That permitted us to escape."She concluded, her eyes gazing the floor.

"It's all my fault, I'm sorry…"A single tear sliding down her cheek.

Terrador caressed her with one wing.

"None of this is you fault. Let us Guardians deal with those criminals."He said softly.

"Volteer, alert Baldur and tell him to have someone to look for this Basalt. He and his accomplices are going to answer for their aggression."

Volteer nodded and left for the door.

"Aramis" Called the Earth Guardian"Thank you for taking Cynder here. You're dismissed."He said.

The grey dragoness bowed her head and then left.

Terrador watched then the black dragoness standing in front of him, her eyes fixed on the marble floor. The Earth Elder sighed, sitting beside the young one.

"I have to confess, Cynder, that we Guardians feared that things like this could happen."He said with a miserable tone.

The black dragoness exhaled heavily."What do you mean, Terrador?"She asked, a tinge of sorrow still present in her tone.

"You see, lots of dragons lost everything during the war, mostly because…"He chose his words carefully."Of your actions as Terror of the Sky."He paused, now Cynder was watching him.

"After you and Spyro disappeared three years ago, Ignitus did his best clean your name and defend you. Unfortunately he did also foresee that some of them wouldn't change their mind, and that someone would even try to have their vengeance in some way."He said frowning.

Cynder gazed silently the elder while he continued talking.

"We Guardians don't minimally justify their action, but we can understand their reasons."

He then fixed his eyes on the black dragoness.

"But you, Cynder, are a Warfang citizen like all of us and so protected by our laws. You don't need to worry."He concluded.

Cynder stood silent for few moments, before she sighed:"I think I don't want to be a Warfang citizen if this gets my friends hurt."She answered.

Terrador watched her sadly, but his attention was caught by the sound of the opening door.

Some seconds later, Spyro and Auros reached the main noticed it too and ran towards Spyro.

"Spyro!"She said nuzzling his cheek."Is all ok?"She asked worriedly.

"Yes, the doctors managed to fix me up. Also my wing now is better, I came here by flight!"He said excited.

"That's amazing!"She agreed.

"That's amazing indeed, young Spyro, also with perfect timing for the beginning of the training."Said Terrador, getting closer to the trio.

"And about that…problem you got this morning, don't worry we're dealing with it."He stated.

The purple dragon nodded in response.

"Anyway, soon after lunch we will meet here and begin your lessons."Continued the Earth Guardian.

"You mean that the main hall can be used as an arena like in the old Temple?"Asked Spyro.

"Precisely, as you can see this place is a lot bigger than the Temple in the Swamp. It was originally built with the objective to train tens of dragons at time. Actually you're only five, but I hope that more of your peers will join in the future."Answered Terrador.

"Now off you go young ones, time for lunch! See you in one hour."Said smiling the Earth Elder.

The three young dragons saluted the guardian and left for the door. Soon after they darted up in the sky, directing towards the great hall.

It was a sensation that Spyro missed too much. The air rushing in his face, the wind flowing over his scales and in his wings, carrying him wherever he wanted. Everything from above seemed now so small and distant, while he soared free over the world. His eyes were barely open, a great smile etched on his face. Soon Cynder approached him.

"You missed it, don't you?"She asked grinning.

"You couldn't imagine it."He answered.

During their flight they glimpsed other dragons directing towards their destination. A sense of relief filled Spyro's chest in seeing more dragons populating the great, empty city. He was also sure that more will come in the future.

Soon the Great Hall came into view, as the three young dragons landed softly in front of the building.

They entered the place searching for a table, when they glimpsed two familiar figures.

Gaia and Nix were sit with the same two dragons that were at the temple the day before.

The trio approached the table, Nix recognised them and tapped Gaia's shoulder.

She turned and gazed the three dragons, a broad smile etched on her face.

"Dad, Narrius.."She called, the adult dragon turned around, facing the trio."Those are Spyro, Cynder and…"She paused"I'm sorry I don't remember your name-"

"Auros"Said Nix before he could talk, a shy smile on her face.

The white dragon kindly smiled at the azure dragoness, before gazing the two elders.

"It's an honour to meet the Saviours of our world in flesh and bones."Said the Earth dragon bowing his head. The Ice dragon did the same.

"Indeed it is. Thank you for everything you've done, young ones."Continued the Ice Elder.

The two heroes bowed their heads in unison."No need to thank us, we've done what we were meant to do. "Said Spyro.

"Well, young ones, thank you anyway. Now I'm sorry but I've got to leave, my patrol starts in a couple of minutes, see you later darling."Said the Earth dragon addressing to his daughter.

"Me too, I've got to help my wife setting up the new home. Bye young ones."Said the Ice one.

The two dragon left for the door, while the young dragonesses invited their three friends to join them at the table.

"So we heard that we're beginning the 'training' today. You guys have already done something similar to this?"Asked Gaia, addressing to Spyro and Cynder.

"I've actually been trained with the guardians several years ago, before we were trapped in the time crystal. They taught me how to master the four elements and the relatives furies-"

"Furies!?"Interrupted Gaia.

"You mean you mastered four different furies at twelve?"She asked astounded.

"Yeah?"Answered Spyro a bit confused.

"Wow, I never heard of someone so talented. No doubt you're the strongest dragon in the world."She said with a flattering tone. Cynder narrowed her eyes at the Earth dragoness, but she didn't notice.

"Anyway…"Continued the purple dragon. "I've got no clue on how they will train us this time. I guess there are lots of things that they didn't taught me back in the day."

"Well, I have to admit that I'm pretty excited. I mean… Training with the Guardians and you two… I really didn't believe my ears when Terrador asked me to join you." Said Auros.

"I hope to live up to it…"He then said, his tone a bit saddened.

"I'm sure you're gonna deal with it and if not, you're going to learn how to do it. It's called training for a reason."Said Cynder to the white dragon.

"Yea, you're right."

A mole arrived with five platters full of meat and posed them on the table. The youngster began to eat, before leaving for the Temple all together.


	10. Chapter 10 - Training and Trials

**Hi, here we have a new and longer chapter. I hope it isn't too heavy to read in one shot. Thank you to all the great review and feedback I with this one we begin the action course of the story. I also hope to complete next chapter within this week and publish it by next Sunday. **

**-Azotac**

* * *

The five youngster found themselves together in front of the three Guardians and Ashen.

The temple main hall had changed significantly in preparation for their training: the white marble floor had left space for a big ring containing a mixture of dried earth and sand and delimited by a golden metal border. The windows were wide open, leaving a fresh breeze flowing trough the place.

"Good afternoon young ones, today it begins your training here at the Temple."Said Terrador.

"But before commencing the lessons, we need to asses your skills both with elements and close combat."Continued Volteer.

"So first of all we will begin to test your elemental affinity, with some good old mannequin mock battle."Concluded Cyril.

As soon as he fished talking, five grublin dummies generated on the centre of the arena, all armoured and bearing their crude weapons.

Nix almost yelled by their sudden appearance.

"Where the heck do they come from?"She asked.

"They're powered by magic under our control. Don't worry, that things can do you no harm."Reassured the Earth Guardian.

"If you say so…"Murmured the Ice dragoness.

"Now, young ones, who wants to go first?"Asked eagerly Cyril.

The five youngsters watched each other quizzically. Finally Cynder stepped in.

"I'll go first!"She said confident.

"Perfect, all the others exit the arena ring."Said Terrador.

"The rules are simple: you must destroy all the targets with your range elemental attacks. Melee engaging is forbidden, so it's advised to keep you distance from the enemy."He continued, moving to the border.

When only Cynder was the one in the ring, the Guardian shouted:"Begin!"

Immediately the five dummies flung themselves towards the black dragoness. Cynder promptly dashed backwards with a flap of her wings, then shot a violent gust of wind to the targets, unbalancing them and giving her the perfect occasion to unleash a torrent of black fire that engulfed the five dummies. When the smoke dissipated, all the remained was a smoking pile of ashes and some swords laid on the ground.

"A truly astounding, marvellous display, young Cynder!"Shouted Volteer thrilled.

"Yes, indeed. Now let's try with a greater number."Said Terrador.

The black dragoness nodded and instantly twenty dummies generated all around her.

Without hesitation they attacked. Cynder darted up in the air, releasing a series of globules of venom that melted away some enemies, while others dispersed around.

A hiss came from her right, as she barely dodged an arrow pointing to her flank.

She scanned the dummies and finally individuated the archer. The black dragoness flung herself to her target, sending it crashing to the wall with a jet of wind. She then unleashed another wave of dark fire, finishing off the rest of the dummies.

Cynder gently landed at the border of the arena, sitting next to Spyro.

"Very well done Cynder. I expected nothing less to be honest."Commented Terrador.

The two new dragonesses gazed her with a mixture of admiration and almost fear. They never seen such a display of mastery and power from a dragoness so young.

"Who wants to go next?"He then asked.

"I'd like to."Said Auros.

"Very well, step in. We will begin with five like before"

"Ok…"

The white dragon sat on the arena floor, while the five dummies materialised at the other end.

He stood up, assuming a battle stance. The enemies began to run towards him.

The combat finished few moments later, as it was just a mere target practice. He shot five ice shards that neatly impaled their heads with a decent precision.

"Really good use of your element, Auros."Complimented Cyril.

The white dragon bowed his head to the guardian, then prepared to face the new swarm of enemies.

This time they were all around him, just few meters away. As soon as he could, he jumped up in the air, fire condensing on the membranes of his wings. He finally beaten them, releasing a wave of fire energy that charred half of the enemies in front of him. He then turned around, sending a series of ice spike towards the remaining dummies piercing them from side to side.

Auros landed on all four, slightly panting.

"This was…unexpected…"Said Cyril, clearly confused.

The white dragon walked towards his friends, but Volteer stopped him in his tracks, watching him with a mixture of excitement reflected in his eyes.

"Young Auros, why haven't you told us about your dual element?"He asked.

"Because I thought it wasn't important, Master Volteer…" Answered the white dragon.

"Not important? This is a marvellous ability of yours, I've personally read only on the books of dragons that can wield more than one element, not having purple scales."Continued the Guardian.

"I agree with Volteer. Your affinity with ice and fire could be very resourceful. You should have told us sooner. Anyway good job."Continued Terrador.

Auros nodded and moved aside, leaving clear the arena.

Gaia stepped in the ring, ready to face the test. She had no problem beating the first wave of enemies, as she used few earth missiles to wipe out the dummies. During the second wave, being surrounded, she jumped in the air and slammed back to the ground with an earth boulder, shedding razor sharp rock shards all around her, killing all the enemies.

"Nice use of the various techniques, young Gaia."Complimented Terrador.

"Thank you Master Terrador."She bowed her head.

"Nix, would you want to go next?"Said the earth dragoness, nudging her friend.

"O..Ok"She stammered, walking to the arena ring.

She exhaled heavily, mentally bracing for the fight and assuming her battle stance.

"Begin!"Shouted Terrador.

The usual five dummies materialised at the opposite side, and begun to run towards her.

Nix tried to shot some ice shards to the enemies, but they all almost missed.

The grublins were now getting threateningly closer. She flapped her wings to gain some space, then shot again a series of almost point-blank ice projectiles that this time impaled her targets.

"Good job Nix. Ready for the next one?"Asked Terrador.

"Yes sir."She answered, even if she wasn't clearly convinced about her response.

The following wave of enemies arrived before she could even notice. She tried to evade the group by jumping in the air, but one grumbling caught her tail and began to drag her down. She retaliated with another ice shard that pierced the dummy, liberating her tail. Nix moved to the side of the group, sending an ice shot directed to the mass of enemies, freezing them in place.

She stopped once the icy statues crumbled in pieces, signalling the end of the battle.

"Very good, young dragoness, but you should be more focused on your surroundings during the battle. Anyway well done."Said Cyril.

The azure dragoness bowed her head and directed towards her friends, sitting next to Gaia.

"So, Spyro, it seems it is you turn now."Said Terrador."I must say that I'm really curious to see how your abilities have progressed since your training at the temple in the swamp."He continued.

"Me too! By the Ancestors, we have again the honour to witness and contribute to the training of a legendary purple dragon! I assure that it will be written in a book and-"

"Would you stop talking, you old windbag?"Snorted Cyril.

"Oh sorry…"Replied the electricity dragon.

"Please Spyro, would you step in?"Asked Terrador. The purple dragon nodded and moved inside the ring of the arena.

"We decided, if it's ok for you, to give you a more difficult challenge than the others."Continued the guardian.

"Which consist in?"Asked confused Spyro. He didn't have the time to turn around that a massive earth troll generated in front of him.

"Holy Ancestors!"He said before barely ducking a fist of his enemy.

Spyro didn't lose time and flung himself into the air, hoping to gain some time to plan an attack strategy. He had a lot of experience in dealing with those creatures, but he couldn't deny that they've always been a thorn in the flank, given their massive size and incredible durability.

He learned during his journey that electricity was the best way to deal with those monsters(1),so he began circling around the massive dummy, hitting its top side with a shower of lightnings.

His attacks struck the enemy with an impressive strength, eroding part of his upper armour and burning some of the arboreal formation on his back. Spyro kept going for few minutes, hoping to have worn his objective out, meanwhile the troll tried to retaliate in vain.

The purple dragon used some ice shots aimed at the joints and feet to slow it down and prevent to attack again, then he dropped from above, charging an electricity ball in his jaws. Once near his target he released his attack striking directly the underside of the troll. A tremendous explosion occurred, sending the enemy flying in the air. Spyro finally condensed an earth missile in his mouth and slammed the dummy back to the impact raised a dense cloud of dust, that obscured for few seconds the afternoon light filtering trough the windows. After few moments the debris posed on the floor, revealing a completely disjointed troll and a dust covered and panting purple dragon.

"Simply marvellous, Spyro."Said Volteer, barely containing his excitement.

"Yes, a really impressive display of your abilities, young one. Congratulations! "Said Terrador.

"Thank you…"Panted Spyro clearing the dust from his violet scales before directing towards his friends and sitting near Cynder.

Auros, Gaia and Nix were simply astonished by the combat they just witnessed, but sincerely they expected nonetheless form the great Saviour. The ice dragoness, most of all, remained stunned by the "easiness" with which the troll was defeated, as she recalled that, during the attack at her village, many dragons needed to be involved in killing a single one of those monstrosities.

The four adult dragons moved away from the youngsters for few minutes, before addressing them again."Well young ones, today's training is concluded. We have pretty much assessed that all of you have a good elemental affinity. Someone just need more training, but nothing that can't be achieved."Stated Terrador smiling.

"Tomorrow we will focus instead on the melee combat and the various related techniques. So until then, have a good rest and enjoy your time."Concluded the Earth Elder.

The five youngster bowed their heads and directed towards the exit.

They walked outside the main door, descended the long staircase and finally arrived to the courtyard. It was now late afternoon, as the sun was slowly beginning to sink behind the western mountains.

Spyro was about to say something when he found Gaia planted in front of his face with an expression of pure awe in her eyes.

"You were so amazing during the training! I've never seen a dragon taking out a monster like that all alone!"She said with a flattering tone.

Spyro, clearly embarrassed by the vicinity of the earth dragoness, couldn't answer immediately.

"…Thank you?…"He managed to say. Beside him Cynder was beginning to get angry, but she tried to keep her composure.

"I'd love to learn more about the earth techniques that you know."Continued Gaia.

"By any chances, could you give me some private lessons?"She finally asked, getting even closer to the purple dragon.

Nix and Auros where casually near each other, gazing weirdly at the scene, while Cynder almost failed to subdue her inner rage.

"_Ancestors I swear I'm gonna kill her!_"She screamed in her mind. With an extreme sense of self-control she managed to maintain her calm and before Spyro could answer, she interjected the talk.

"I'm sorry but Spyro is very busy. In addition the doctor said that he shouldn't yet exercise outside the scheduled training, 'cause it could lead to permanent damages to his limbs."Said Cynder, shooting a killing glare to the purple hero, which eyes were filled with a mixture of gratitude and fear.

"Yeah, she's right. I'm sorry Gaia…"He finally answered.

The green dragoness frowned, but finally nodded.

"What a pity, but I understand. Thank you anyway, see you later."She said brushing her flank over his, directing towards the main street.

Nix watched her getting away.

"Hey! Wait for me!"She said, standing up.

"Bye guys, see you later."She added before running away behind her friend.

Auros watched the azure dragoness until she faded from his view, he then turned to his two friends.

"So, you guys wanna be left alone?"He asked, understanding the situation.

Spyro was about to answer, but Cynder did it first.

"Yes, if it's not a problem for you…"She said.

"No problem at all. If you need me, I'll be talking with Master Volteer here at the Temple."Said the white dragon.

"Ok, see you later."Said Cynder, while Auros directed towards the door. Once he disappeared behind the gate, Spyro exhaled heavily.

"Thank you for your…Intervention, before. I didn't know how to react…"He said a bit embarrassed.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault, but we need to clarify the situation with that one before it slips out of our paws."She said, now with a concerned tone.

"Yeah, definitely…"Said Spyro.

"Anyway"He continued."What do you want to do until it's dark?"He asked eagerly.

"Well, since you can fly again, why don't we explore a bit the city? I'm sure there's a lot that we didn't see yet."She suggested.

"I'd really love to." He answered smiling.

The two you heroes darted up in the sky, as the city began to shrink slowly under their eyes.

* * *

Just after re-entering the Temple, Auros moved to the main hall where there were still the three Guardians. Soon the elders noticed him and Terrador asked:"Young Auros, what are you doing here?"

The youngster recoiled a bit but finally answered.

"Well, I'd like, if it's possible, to talk with Master Volteer of a…Hum…personal problem…"Said the white dragon.

The two guardians watched Volteer with an inquisitive gaze, the electricity elder was also clearly intrigued.

"Well, of course it's possible young one. Please follow me, let's get to a place where we can talk in private. See you later, my dear colleagues."

Volteer directed towards the opposite side of the main hall, with Auros following suit.

He crossed an archway and directed towards another part of the great temple which the white dragon never visited. They walked for few minutes, only the noise of their talons on the marble floor echoing in the enormous place. Volteer finally stopped in font of a wooden door, embellished with a golden plaque which had the electricity symbol carved on it.

He opened the door and entered the room, while Auros stood still at the entrance.

"Please, young one, come in and close the door."Said the elder, untying the curtains.

The white youngster entered the dark room, that suddenly exploded with the bright sunset light that flooded the place. Auros began to study Volteer's quarters with discretion.

The room was at least three times the size of his one. The entrance was adorned with some beautiful paintings hanged on the walls. Auros moved on and noticed two arches: the one on his left led to what seemed like a bedroom, the one on his right, where Volteer was in, led to a much larger hall, filled with bookshelves.

The white dragon entered the right room, and remained astonished by the quantity of books that there were packed in it. The shelves covered every centimetre of the walls, and every one of them was filled with tomes that seemed to be hundreds years older than the young dragon. In the middle there was a lectern illuminated by a column of light filtering form a circular window on the ceiling. On the right side a big window gave access to the wide balcony of the room.

Auros was staring in awe at the whole place, when his admiration was interrupted by Volteer calling for him.

"Young Auros, is all ok?"He asked, almost worried.

"I'm fine, sir. I'm just admiring your collection of books…I never seen so many in my whole life."Answered the white dragon.

"I must admit that it is indeed a big hoard, many of them are even ten times older than me. Written by the first dragons of the first age ever documented. Quite precious and unique pieces I should say."Said Volteer.

"Anyway, what it is this personal problem you needed to talk about with me. I confess that you really stimulated my curiosity when you asked me before."Continued the elder.

"Well today I was talking with Spyro in the infirmary during our check up and I mentioned my…problem with red gems. He told me that if I asked, you may be able to find a solution for it."Said Auros.

"And which exact problem do you have with red gems, young one? It seemed that they worked on you during your permanence at the infirmary."Said quizzically Volteer.

"Actually yes, the trouble is that they give me the same amount of pain as if the wound was freshly made."Sighed the white dragon.

Volteer got closer to the youngster.

"Could you describe better what exactly do you feel when you use the crystals?"He asked eagerly.

"Well, for example, when they cured the puncture wounds, I felt like if the arrows were being slowly pulled out one by one from my flesh, even if in reality it was just the injury that was mending under the power of the gems."Said Auros, watching his back.

"Plus the scars don't go away completely, even after weeks."He added.

Volteer moved a bit away from the youngster, in his eyes a spark had ignited as he directed towards the bookshelf on his right.

He fumbled few seconds with the various tomes over the wooden ledges, when finally he grabbed one and posed it over the lectern, as began to browse it at incredible speed.

"Come here young one, let's see if we can find something in here."Called Volteer,

Auros moved aside him trying to glimpse something.

The elder finally stopped on a page in the middle of the book, a smile tinted his face as he faced the youngster beside him.

"A similar case to yours had already been studied a hundred years ago. A fire dragon had your same 'intolerance' to the red gems, but there are no mentions about the remaining scars."He said.

"Unfortunately, the book doesn't tell about a remedy or a cure, it just says that they used a banal pain-killer herb to alleviate the suffering."He continued."This is intriguing if nonetheless challenging!"He then exclaimed.

"What do you mean, sir?"Asked confused Auros.

"I mean that your case has yet to be studied in depth. Unfortunately my highest experience with medicine is the one you apply in the battlefield, so I'm not a real doctor, but this doesn't mean I can't help you!"Continued the elder.

"I'm going to take down few notes about your experience and confront it with some other books I got in here and the ones in the library. Maybe I could actually ask to Aramis if she ever heard of something like this before. Ancestors! What a thrilling challenge you gave me, young one!"Declared Volteer.

Auros remained confused by the reaction of the elder. He never expected that a guardian would really take in consideration his case. Auros bowed his head to the electricity dragon.

"Thank you for your interest in my case, Master Volteer. I'm really honoured by-"He was stopped by Volteer.

"Nonsense, Auros, thanks to you for giving me something to study on. It has been since the war that I haven't pursued my academic interests. Now I finally have a chance to begin again."Said the elder with a spark in his eyes.

"You're free to go now, it's getting late. Thank you again for bringing me such an interesting quest!"Concluded Volteer.

"Thank you too for you help, Master."Said the white dragon leaving for the door.

He crossed back the hallway and directed to his room. Once arrived, he entered and sat on the balcony gazing at the majestic sunset before him, feeling the residual tension melting away.

His eyes explored the landscapes, following the squared lines of the city's streets and walls and finally arriving to the rolling hills and impervious mountains just beyond those stone barriers.

He left his gaze wander, when a glimpse of azure caught his attention. He saw Nix walking alone in one of the side roads.

"_What is she doing all alone?_"Thought the white dragon. He was undecided wether following her or not. Finally he took a decision and leapt down his balcony, gliding towards her direction.

He landed few meters behind her without making any noise. He then speeded trough the streets and called for her.

"Nix?"

The azure dragoness turned around, just then he noticed that she had a bag clenched in her mouth. The dragoness watched him with a surprised glance, before posing the sack.

"Auros?…What are you doing here?"She asked shyly.

"I saw you down here all alone…So I thought you'd like some kind of…company?"Said stammering the white dragon. He then watched the bag she had dropped.

"Do you want a paw with that one? It seems kinda heavy…"He offered smiling.

"Well, it is kinda heavy… So I gladly accept your help, since you're here."She answered with a shy grin. Auros took the handles of the bag in his mouth and followed the dragons to her destination.

She stood silent for the first minutes and he did pretty much the same thing, because he had his mouth already occupied.

Finally she spoke.

"We're almost there, just few minutes."She said.

"Yesh, noh 'roblemsh."Managed to say the white dragon, even if the weight was starting to take its toll on his neck.

After ten minutes or so they arrived in front of a tall, circular tower. Nix stopped in front of the wooden door.

"There we are."She said, turning around to face Auros, which gently posed the bag in front of him.

"Thank you for your help, I can take it from now"She continued with a smile.

"No problem, it's been a pleasure."He replied with a sincere smile.

An awkward silence fell between the two, when finally spoke again.

"Soo, see you tomorrow I guess?"She asked, grabbing the bag with his jaws.

"Yes, of course"He answered before she disappeared behind the door.

"_Well, it didn't go so bad._"He thought, directing back to the Temple.

* * *

After few minutes of flight, the two young heroes landed in the main street and began walking along, as their gaze was attracted by a series of closed shops and barricaded houses. Sometime they crossed a dragon or a mole going in the opposite direction, but nothing more.

A sense of sadness began to raise in Spyro, as seeing such a big city so empty and dull, even after the new arrivals.

"_I hope that the other refugees are safe and sound..._"He thought.

Suddenly, their attention was caught by a loud shout:"You! Stop!"Said a familiar voice.

The noise was coming from a side alley of the main street. Spyro and Cynder watched each other, before running to the direction of the sound.

When they arrived, they found Baldur standing in front to a familiar grey dragon. It was Basalt.

The captain shouted again:" You're under arrest, with the accusation of voluntary aggression."The fugitive tried to run back, but another guard landed before him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Where do you think you're going?"Said the fire soldier.

A sense of familiarity coursed trough Cynder, but instead of feeling satisfied by the capture of the one who hurt her Spyro, she almost proved pity for that dragon.

"You're coming with us to the Temple and answer of your crime directly to the Guardians."Spoke again Baldur.

The grey dragon, understanding that he had no way of escape, finally bowed his head, defeated, and began to go behind the Earth captain, followed by the other Fire soldier.

Upon exiting the alley, Baldur noticed the presence of the two young dragons.

"Master Spyro, Miss Cynder? What are you doing here?"He asked.

"We were walking along the street when we heard you shout from the alley, so we decided to see what was happening…"Answered Spyro.

"I see… Well, since you're here, would you like to follow us to the Temple and witness the judging of this criminal?"He then asked.

Cynder watched briefly Basalt before gazing again the captain and Spyro who smiled at her.

"Yes…"She answered.

"Very good, stay behind with Dareon. We'll reach the Temple in few minutes."He finally said, gazing his fire comrade.

The two young dragons nodded and reached the fire soldier. Shortly after, the small group darted in the air, in the direction of the Temple.

"Young heroes, it's really an honour to meet you."Spoke the guard.

The couple turned to watch him, Spyro inspecting him briefly.

He had crimson scales with a single pair of bronze straight horns sprouting out of his head.

His chest was also bronze, covered with the silver and white Warfang armour. His azure eyes were gently scrutinising the two young ones.

A smile tinted on Spyro face as he addressed the soldier.

"Nice to meet you."

The flew in silence for few minutes before the fire guard spoke again.

"I've to admit that when I first glimpsed you here in Warfang, I didn't have much faith in you two…You seemed to young and inexperienced for being the warriors the Guardians claimed you to be."

Paused Dareon.

"But after witnessing your battle with the golem, I totally changed my mind. So thank you for saving us all from Malefor."He concluded, a smile never leaving his face.

Spyro was about to respond when Baldur called:" We're arrived."

The group landed in the courtyard, entered the Temple and after crossing the corridor finally arrived in the main hall, in the presence of the two guardians present at the moment.

Terrador and Cyril watched the small convoy coming into view and at least sitting in front of them.

"My Guardians, we found the dragon who assaulted our young heroes this morning."Said Baldur, pushing on the grey one.

"Very well, thank you for your excellent service, captain."Said Cyril.

"So, Basalt is the name, right?What do you have to say in your defence?"Asked Terrador with a cold voice.

The defendant stood silent for few moments, before answering.

"Nothing, sir…"He said.

"So do you define yourself guilty?"

"Yes sir"

"Very well. I think that few weeks of forced labour will help you remember the laws of our city. Do you concord, Cyril?"Asked the Earth Guardian

"Absolutely, Terrador."

"Wait, Terrador, Cyril, I think this isn't the right way to deal with this."Interjected Spyro.

Immediately all eyes darted towards him, most of them bearing a stunned look.

"What do you mean, Spyro? Isn't this the dragon that injured you few hours ago?"Asked Terrador, confused.

"Yes he is, but what I was trying to say is that…Is this the best option regarding Cynder?"He paused."I mean, it's useless to punish a dragon if he doesn't show remorse, because it's probable that he will try to act again in the future."He said moving towards Basalt, gazing directly in his eyes.

"Have you repented?"Asked the purple dragon.

The grey adult waited a few second, his answer came clear.

"No, I've not."He said.

"I see… I would like you to give Cynder the opportunity to demonstrate you that she isn't anymore the Terror of the Sky, but just a simple dragoness, who's life has been torn away by Malefor."Concluded Spyro, gazing gently to his black dragoness.

All those present were speechless. A mixture of pride and awe filled the guardians' eyes as they nodded to the purple dragon.

"_So young and yet so wise…_"Thought Terrador.

"Very well Spyro, but do you intend to do this?"Asked Cyril.

"I think we should let them talk, alone…"Answered the young dragon, still watching the black dragoness.

Cynder nodded back to him and inched closer to Basalt, while the others moved away from the duo. The purple dragon kept watch on them for the entire duration of their talk, he noticed a gradual change in the behaviour and in the expression of the grey adult.

"_Maybe he isn't so bad as we thought…_"He said in his mind.

Some time later they returned, finding the two dragons smiling at each other.

Terrador finally spoke:"It seems that all went well between you two."

"Yes sir. Now that I know the pain the she endured to defend us, I don't really see any difference between us anymore. I'm sorry for what I've done today."Said Basalt, bowing his head to two young dragons.

"You're forgiven, Basalt."Said Spyro.

"Ahem… All of this is really touching, but still remains that we need to find a punishment for him."Said Cyril.

"I think that a night of work under Sparx will be more than sufficient."Said Spyro grinning.

"Well, it's decided then. Thank you for your cooperation, young ones. You can go now."Said Terrador, bowing his head. The couple returned the regards and left for their rooms.

* * *

The following day, the youngsters returned to the temple arena, ready to face their close combat test.

"Hello again young ones, today we'll asses your ability in melee fight. We decided to test you by organising mock duels between you all."Said Terrador watching confidently his students.

"Of course, no one is going to get serious injuries out of this test, we Guardians will watch over you, during your duels."Continued the Earth Guardian.

The youngster all nodded.

"Perfect. So, let's begin. The first ones will be Spyro and Auros."Announced Terrador.

The white dragon watched a bit astounded his purple friend, which nodded smiling. The two dragons entered the ring and stood one in front of another, just few metres away.

"The rules are really simple. A participant wins if he's able to virtually delivery a potential deadly hit to its opponent. Examples are: having the tail blade pointed at the chest or neck, having talons aimed to the base of the neck or throat or finally having the other's neck in your own jaws. "Began Cyril.

"Light injuries are tolerated, since we have a good amount of red gems to heal you just in case. Elemental attacks are forbidden in this test. If someone breaks these rules, it will automatically lose the duel. Have I been clear?"Asked finally the Ice Guardian.

The two young dragon nodded in agreement.

"Excellent. Now begin."Said Cyril.

Spyro immediately assumed his battle stance, while Auros limited himself to stand up, his eyes never leaving his opponent.

The purple dragon began circling around the white one, trying to study him, but Auros stood still, only his neck moving, following Spyro.

He finally took the bait, and began to get closer, but it got still no reaction from the white youngster.

"_What is he trying to do?_"Thought Spyro a bit confused . He then noticed that Auros had his left flank completely exposed, as his wings were draped on his back.

"_Maybe that's my chance to end this quickly..._"

Without a second thought, the purple dragon charged his friend at an incredible speed. The white dragon flinched for an instant, but reacted rather quickly, jumping in the air and barely dodging the attack. Spyro raised his head, trying to cut Auros's underbelly with his sharp horns, but his opponent caught them in his paws and twisted them, trying to flip the young hero upside down. It took a moment to the purple dragon to figure out how to retort. He used the momentum gained with the spin to slam his wings against Auros, which lost the grip on his horns and tumbled down to the ground. Both the contestant stood immediately on their paws and began to exchange a series of hits. Spyro managed to deflect a direct blow and answered with a strike that left three gashes on Auros's right shoulder, a bit of blood spilled from the injury. The white dragon snorted but didn't lose his balance and retorted immediately with a powerful tail hit that slashed Spyro across his chest, leaving a light gash. The purple dragon snarled and backed up a bit, covering his chest with his wing.

"_Damn. He's strong, I've to admit it._"Thought Spyro, before retaliating against Auros.

He slammed his head into the white dragon's chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back for few metres. Spyro charged again his opponent that was still stunned by his attack. A moment before the collision, Auros regained his composure and with a surprising speed, he placed his horns right under the purple dragon's chest and using his charging speed, he lifted him easily and sent the young hero up in the air. Spyro hit the ground with his back and his instinct told him to raise his tail over his belly, in order gave him some kind of protection. He did as fast as he could, before Auros could attack again, but his tail blade met something during its movement, as around him fell a deadly silence. Spyro tried to open his eyes, but faltered when something warm dropped on his snout. He finally watched above him and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.

His tail blade had pierced Auros's chest enough to drawn blood and remain stuck in his flesh.

The white dragon was unmoving over him, his face contracted in pain.

"Please, Spyro, don't move."He managed to say with a broken voice.

Meanwhile Cyril and Volteer already reached the injured dragon, the ice elder was holding in his paws a bunch of red gems. Volteer grabbed Spyro's tail firmly, before addressing the white youngster.

"You're ready, Auros?"He asked gently.

"Yes, but quickly."Said, almost whispering the white dragon.

Cyril nodded to Volteer, which pulled out the tail blade from Auros's chest, whit it, a spurt of blood fell over the arena ground and over the purple dragon. Auros snarled from the pain, which only duplicated when Cyril applied the red gems to the injury. After some endless seconds, the gash sealed, leaving a jagged scar in the young dragon's golden chest. The cuts on his shoulder received the same treatment.

Spyro stood up, cleaning away some blood from his face. He then watched apprehensively his friend, who was still panting heavily from the surge of pain. Ignoring his injury, he moved closer Auros, sitting next to him.

"I'm so sorry Auros, I shouldn't have reacted by instinct, I got completely caught off guard…"Said Spyro with a sad tone.

"No need to be sorry, I should have been more careful too."He paused

"I suppose that these accidents can happen during the training. It's pity that we ended so early. I was really enjoying it."Concluded Auros smiling weakly at his purple friend.

"Me too". Answered Spyro.

Terrador cleared his throat to gain the attention of the two youngster.

"So, apart for the little accident, you two displayed an excellent ability in melee combat. I'm impressed. Auros, you should just be more careful about your surroundings and try not to be too impulsive."Commented Terrador smiling.

"Yes, Master Terrador."Answered the white dragon.

Spyro and Auros moved to the border of the ring where the three dragoness were sit.

"The next one will be Cynder against Gaia."Announced the Earth Guardian. The two dragonesses entered the arena and prepared for battle. Spyro was really curios to see how much could Gaia endure against Cynder, because even himself never managed to win a fight with her. She was just too fast and agile for him to compete.

As he expected, the duel lasted a couple minutes, as the earth dragoness found Cynder's tail-blade aimed straight at her chest, signalling the end of the fight.

"Cynder wins."Declared Terrador.

"Excellent display Cynder. I'm really impressed by your strength and agility."Complimented the Guardian.

"Since your fight was short, would you like to confront also Nix?"Asked the earth elder to the black dragoness.

"Yeah, why not?"Answered Cynder.

Nix stepped in and their duel begun and ended soon after, as it took Cynder only three moves to place a potentially deadly blow. The young dragoness left the ring and faced the Guardians once again, ready to hear their conclusions.

"You all did a good job today. We assessed that all of you posses the basic skills for fighting in close range, someone is clearly advantaged by their experience and talent, some others need a bit of work to consolidate their ability."Said Terrador.

"So, that's all for today. See you tomorrow at the same hour for the beginning of the real training lessons. Until then enjoy your time, young dragons." He concluded.

The youngsters bowed their head to the guardians and left the temple together, before saluting for the evening.

**Thank you for reading**


	11. Chapter 11 - Festival of Memory - Part 1

**Hi, here we have a new chapter. I want to thank everyone for the reviews of the last one, I really appreciated them. Anyway today's chapter is the first half of a longer one, which will be completed by next week. As always I hope you will enjoy it. **

**-Azotac**

A couple of weeks passed since the beginning of the training and, during this period, new groups of refugees made their return to Warfang, which now hosted almost four hundred dragons. In addition the city was almost completely rebuilt, as the walls were now fully restored and the inner structures were being reconstructed. In general now the dragon capital was returning to normality and to its ancient splendour, but with it, the problems of a big city were also coming back again and the Guardians were completely submerged with stuff to do and administrate. To make things even worse, the three elders were planning to introduce a new festivity, to celebrate the ending of the war and the memory of the former fire guardian.

The Guardians had also the intention to dedicate the celebration to the two young heroes of the Realms, which hadn't yet received a formal thanks from the city. Of course they hadn't yet been informed about their participation, as the elders wanted them to be fully focused on their training.

The preparations had already begun some days before the designated date with the technical support of the mole engineers captained by Mason. The Temple as well as the city's street were being adorned with fiery violet and lustrous gold banners, clearly recalling a certain purple dragon. These ones were also interspersed by some silver flags, symbolising the colours of the capital. Moreover a series of stalls had been placed along the main street to offer every kind of food and products.

* * *

The day before the beginning of the celebrations the five youngsters were, as usual, training together with the Guardians. Once they finished, the three elders held back Spyro and Cynder, finally to inform them about their role in the festival.

"Young dragons, sorry for holding here for a bit longer, but we need to inform you about a really important thing."Spoke Terrador.

"As you may have noticed, the city is preparing to host an important festivity and of course we would like you to formally take part to it."He continued.

"Sorry if I ask Terrador, but what is exactly a festivity? I never participated to this kind of things…"Said Spyro, a bit ashamed.

"Well, the main goal of this event is to celebrate the end of the war and to honour all the victims of the conflict, as well to give thanks to the ones who saved us."Said the earth elder, watching proudly the two youngster.

"We would like you to join us during the closing ceremony as guests of honour. You just need to stand beside us while we address Ignitus's memorial. Then, Spyro, you should light a torch that will serve as a commemorative monument."He concluded.

Spyro and Cynder watched each other, then both nodded in response.

"We would be honoured, Terrador."Answered finally Spyro.

"Perfect, the festival is going to begin tomorrow morning and is going to end the day after tomorrow at sunset. At that time we will hold the celebration."Said Cyril.

"Now, off you go, young ones. We have already taken much time to you. Enjoy the rest of the evening."He concluded.

The two heroes bowed their heads to the Guardians and disappeared behind the wooden door that headed to their rooms.

Terrador watched them leave, finally sighing when they weren't anymore in sight. Cyril noticed his sudden low morale and inched closer to him.

"What's up my friend, something worries you?"He asked.

"I don't know Cyril, I am a bit concerned about those two. I mean, are we really doing the right things for them? After all they've done for the dragon kind, we're still asking them more and more, now that Ignitus has left us. We never thought about how they want to live their lives and what they want to become…"Said Terrador.

"I understand your preoccupation, we asked them to do impossible things for dragons so young, especially to our Spyro. I think that if they will ever feel the need to take a break or even retire from the training, we shouldn't stop them. They've already done so much for us, we can't oblige them to keep doing something they don't want to do. "Answered Cyril

"You're right, should I talk with them?"Asked the earth guardian.

"Maybe later, now let them rest."Said Cyril.

* * *

Spyro and Cynder arrived in the purple dragon's room, walked past the entrance and sat together in the balcony, admiring the beautiful sunset that was painting the evening sky with its majestic colours. Staying close like this and enjoying that beautiful landscape was the best way to alleviate the fatigue of the training.

"Spyro, can I ask you a question?"Said Cynder, with her gaze fixed on the scenery in front of her.

"Yes, of course. What is it?"Asked Spyro.

"Do you ever think about, what will you do… after all of this?"She questioned a bit uncertain.

"Hmm…Well, I don't really know for sure, maybe I could still help the Guardians with whatever they will need. My wish is just to have a normal life, even if I don't know how much possible it will be."He said, his gaze also lost in the panorama before his eyes.

"Why do you say so?"Questioned Cynder.

"I mean, it will be difficult to be treated like any other dragon. Everybody knows and will know what we've accomplished."He paused "And the colour of my scales doesn't help very much." He added, almost giggling.

"Well, nothing is impossible."Stated the black dragoness, snuggling under his wing.

"Yeah…Nothing is impossible as long as I have you by my side."He said nuzzling her forehead.

"There's no better place I'd like to be."She cooed in response.

They stood together for some more time, before they left Spyro's room, directing towards the Great hall to have dinner with their friends.

They flew for few minutes before reaching the place, which now was full of dragons and other creatures. The Hall had become the fulcrum of the city's life as it was the designated location for basically every kind of social interaction between the citizens of the great capital. It was a comforting sight nonetheless for the two youngsters, seeing this place so full of life, when a month before it was almost empty. They found the table where their three friends were sitting together and joined them. They instantly begun chatting about their training and about the upcoming event in the city.

"I wonder if there will be any kind of show. It would be very cool"Said Gaia.

The two young heroes gazed quizzically the earth dragoness.

"What do you mean with show?"Asked Cynder.

The youngster watched them back a bit astounded.

"You guys never seen a pyrotechnical show?A dragon duel? Or an elemental showoff? You don't know what you missed!"She exclaimed with a loud voice.

"Sorry, but we never had the occasion to experience this kind of things. During our life, all we did was just fight for survival."Replied Cynder, with a tinge of anger colouring her words.

Gaia recoiled a little, meanwhile Auros intervened in the discussion.

"I'm sure that the Guardians have thought about everything and I'm really curios of what they have in store for this great occurrence."He said smiling.

"Well, they already told to Cynder and I that we will attend the closure ceremony of the final day, but they didn't mention anything else."Said Spyro, shrugging. Then an unfamiliar voice interrupted their discussion.

"Young ones, you should check out the planning that's exposed in the square in front of the Hall."Said a passing mole waiter, pointing his furry finger to the door.

"Uh, thanks sir."Said the purple dragon, bowing his head. The mole smiled, then left in hurry.

"Well, at least now we know what to do."Said Cynder shrugging. Moments later another waiter arrived at their table, depositing on it their dinner.

"But before we should eat, don't you agree?"Said Spyro.

"Finally I'm starving!"Added Gaia. The five youngsters dived in their platters, eating with voracity their meal, before leaving their table and directing towards the outside to the Great Hall.

The sun had already left place to the moons which were dimly illuminating the great city. The small group moved into the big square and noticed the so told plan posted on a board in the middle of the place. In front of it there was something glowing and flickering almost incessantly. Spyro recognised instantly that light and speeded towards his brother.

"Sparx, what are you doing here?"Asked the purple dragon.

The little dragonfly turned around facing the group with surprised look.

"Hey, Spyro!"Said the golden dragonfly, moving towards his brother. He hugged swiftly Spyro's muzzle before addressing to the other youngsters.

"Ah, there's also your handle of friends."He continued grinning.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Sparx."Replied ironically the black dragoness.

"In case you didn't notice, here there's someone who's working his tail off for this festival."Retorted the dragonfly pointing his finger towards Cynder.

"If you call a job working as a talking lamp…"Replied the black youngster.

"You…"Said Sparx, shooting a deadly glare to Cynder.

"Hey Sparx, why don't you tell us about the upcoming event? Since you're in the staff you should know something about it, right?"Interjected Spyro. The dragonfly snorted by finally answered to his brother.

"Well, the Guardians have organised a couple of interesting shows for tomorrow."He began.

"The first one is scheduled for midday, and it's going to be an exhibition of those weird and magical stuff that you dragons do. "

"You mean elemental attacks?"Asked Gaia.

"Yea, those things."

"Then, there is going to be a flying race. "Continued Sparx.

"And finally at midnight there's scheduled a pyrotechnical show."He concluded.

Cynder was particularly attracted by the idea of the race, as she knew that she was the most skilled flyer of her group and in the best of the whole city. She might have a chance to win it.

"Sparx, do you know how can I participate to the race?"Asked Cynder.

"Hmmm, there should be a subscription list near the entrance of the Great Hall, but I don't know if it has been already collected. You should hurry."He said mischievously.

Realising that she had no time to waste, she nuzzled gently Spyro's cheek and without another word, speeded towards the entrance of the hall, leaving behind her friends.

"Spyro?Can we talk a moment…in private?"Asked the dragonfly.

"Huh, yes of course."He answered.

The two brothers moved away from Spyro's friends, towards a corner of the square.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"Asked quizzically the purple dragon.

"Oh I don't know, maybe about your…things going on with that black dragoness."Said Sparx.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, purple boy. You and her have been acting quite weirdly since you returned. And you know what I mean with these words."Replied the dragonfly.

Spyro recoiled a bit, trying to find the best way to tell Sparx about his relationship with Cynder.

"What can I say…We…confessed our love for each other and the direct consequence is that now we spend more time together. Does this bother you?"Said the purple dragon.

Before him, his brother couldn't believe to his words.

"You…what?…How…"He muttered speechless.

"Sorry but I need to go, I think I'm gonna vomit…"Said the dragonfly, before flying away at incredible speed. Spyro giggled, then returned to his friends that were waiting for him with Cynder, that in the meanwhile had returned.

"What did you tell him to make him run away like that?"Asked inquisitively the black dragoness.

"Secrets of the experience."Said Spyro, winking at her.

"Anyway did you manage to subscribe for the race?"He asked.

"Yes, barely in time. The mole arrived to collect the list soon after."She answered.

The group finally parted, saluting for the night. While Spyro, Cynder and Auros directed towards the Temple, Nix and Gaia began walking along the main street and to their respective homes.

They stood silent for sometime, studying the rich environment around them. The stalls were all ready and the decorations were all set to the right place. The purple and gold banners were silently waving at the gentle breeze that coursed through the street.

Finally Gaia broke the silence.

"Soooo…Do you wanna talk about something?"She asked eagerly.

"I don't really know, do you have any ideas?"Replied Nix.

"Ooh… Why don't we talk about guys?"Said the earth dragoness grinning.

"Specifically about the white one with which we hang out usually."She continued.

"You mean Auros?"

"Exactly! Now, when are you going to tell him?"Said Gaia getting closer to her friend. Nix flushed red instantly and backed up a bit, gazing away from the dragoness.

"What are you talking about?"She said, almost stammering.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl. You've been eating him with those eyes of yours for the whole last session of training."

"I really don't know of what are you talking about. Auros and I are just friends. Now let's go home, it's getting late."Said the azure dragoness, taking flight. Gaia watched her and then sighed, following her soon after.

Meanwhile the other trio arrived at the temple, Spyro and Cynder saluted their white friend for the night before moving towards their floor. They arrived in the corridor and finally to their rooms.

"Goodnight Spyro"Said the black dragoness nuzzling Spyro's cheek.

"Goodnight Cynder"He answered, smiling fondly at her.

Then both youngster disappeared behind their respective doors.

* * *

Terrador directed towards the upper floors and to the two young dragons rooms. The Guardian arrived in the corridor, and knocked both the doors, calling for them.

"Spyro, Cynder? Can we talk for a minute?"He said. Both dragons exited their dwellings, Cynder with a quizzical frown etched on her face, while Spyro got out yawning .

"You need something, Terrador?"Asked Cynder wearily.

"Sorry if I bother you at this hour, young ones, but I need to talk you."Answered Terrador.

Spyro and Cynder moved in front of him, giving the guardian their full attention.

"I spoke with the other guardians today and we noticed that we never questioned you if you are ok with what we're asking you to do. "Commenced the elder.

"What do you mean Terrador?"Asked Spyro quizzically.

"I mean... Whenever we guardians ask you to do something, you always accept without hesitation. We want you to know that you shouldn't feel obliged to-" He was interrupted by Spyro.

"We don't feel obliged. We just do what we can to help the city stay safe and sound."Said the purple dragon smiling.

"And by the way, we don't really know what we would in any case. We're still trying to adapt to this new life."He continued.

"Anyway, thank you for thinking about us, but there's no need to worry. We will always be here to help."Concluded Spyro with a wide grin on his face.

"I agree with Spyro."Added Cynder.

The elder watched with pride the two young heroes in front of him.

"Thanks, young ones. Now sleep well and sorry again for bothering you. Have a good night."Said Terrador bowing his head.

"Goodnight to you too."Answered the purple dragon.

* * *

Morning came as soon as they closed their eyes as the sunshine was breaking trough the glass windows and the tied curtains. Spyro yawned wearily, raising his head up to look to his surroundings, exploring the game of lights that painted of a golden hue his large room. He finally stood up and directed towards his balcony, sitting in the shade and gazing the panorama once again. He then saw that a number of dragons, moles and even some cheetahs were directing towards the temple. Spyro watched them carefully, noticing that everybody appeared to be happy and smiling, simply enjoying the renewed peace that came after the disastrous conflict that now seemed so distant into the memory. Seeing all those innocent citizens finally living their life without the constant and pounding threat of war and death was the kind of view that made the purple dragon proud of himself and of his loved one. Spyro smiled and closed his eyes, resting his back onto the marble wall and enjoying the calm breeze that coursed through the air that morning.

"Spyro?"A female voice called. The purple dragon opened abruptly his eyes, only to find Cynder hovering in front of him with a concerned face.

"Are you ok? I've been knocking for ages but you didn't answer."She said worriedly.

"Yeah…I'm fine…I'm fine"He answered, his gaze lost.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

Cynder finally sighed."Fine, but we should hurry or we are going to be late for the beginning of the festival."She said. Spyro nodded and then, without adding anything else, they both darted up in the sky, descending towards the courtyard of the temple.

The couple landed near their friends, which were already there waiting for them. Behind the group, all the citizens were beginning to arrive in the courtyard, taking place in front of the great staircase.

Once everyone seemed to be arrived, the Guardians exited the wooden door and descended one level of stairs, placing themselves under the first arch. They faced proudly the audience in front of them.

"Good morning, dear friends. Today is the day in which we finally celebrate our victory against the dark forces and the peace that eventually arrived in our realms after this dreadful war." Began Terrador.

"Everybody made great and unthinkable sacrifices to come to this days, but there are two dragons, to which we owe a great debt."His gaze verged towards the two young heroes.

"I'd like to invite Spyro and Cynder to join us here."He said proudly.

The two young heroes watched each other and then their friends, which all nodded in agreement.

"_I didn't expect this one…_"Said Spyro in his head.

They finally stood up and ascended the staircase, standing beside the three Guardians.

"These two young dragons sacrificed everything they got, in a battle to death with the Dark Master. Still they came out victorious and saved our world from completely falling apart."Continued Terrador.

"They, like all of us, were ready to give their life to save our reign from an ancient and unbeatable evil. Because of this, today we honour you: Spyro and Cynder. In the name of our capital. In the name of our people."Concluded the guardian, bowing solemnly his head. Volteer and Cyril followed closely and finally all the creatures in the audience in front of them bowed their heads to the two great heroes of the Realms.

The two youngster remained astounded by the Guardian's words, as they silently watched around them. The sun shone bright on their scales and on the clear marbles, illuminating even more their form, which now seemed almost flooded by a divine light that engulfed the two heroes. Spyro smiled to Cynder which reciprocated gently. Eventually the Guardians raised again their heads, with a proud look in their eyes. Terrador then faced again the audience in front of him.

"Now, without further delay, let the feast begin!"He said with his powerful voice. In response a thunderous roar came from the dragons in the courtyard, which made rattle even the stone beneath their paws.

The citizens gradually left the courtyard, flooding the main street and alleys. Exploring all the different stalls that were prepared days before.

Spyro and Cynder descended the staircase and reached their friends, which were waiting for them with another figure. The purple dragon recognised almost instantly the newcomer. His red cloak was waving in the wind, with his bow and his quiver firmly placed across his back. His golden fur shone bright in the sun, as well as his deep azure eyes which were fixed on the couple.

The two heroes sped up on the last steps before running to meet him. The cheetah knelt to hug them, while both Spyro and Cynder embraced him with their wings. Soon after they released from the embrace smiling at each other.

"Hunter! It's so good to see you!"Said the purple dragon excited.

"It's good to see you too, young friend. I'm sorry for not coming back earlier but I've been quite busy with the village lately. Chief Prowlus had me on tight leash and buried me with stuff to do. I hope he manages to chill a bit during our permanence here in Warfang."He answered.

"No problem at all, Hunter. Actually, since you're here, do you want to join us in checking out this festival?"Asked Spyro.

"It would be a great pleasure."Replied the cheetah.

So the small group began to walk along the main street, chatting about their relative post-war experience and exploring all that this beautiful festival had to offer. The purple dragon had never seen the city so full of dragons and other creatures. It was almost difficult to walk without bumping into someone else.

Many citizen noticed the presence of the two young heroes in the crowd and often someone stopped them to ask a paw-print or even just to say hi and then run away in embarrassment.

Spyro, even if this had already happened before, did never get used to this kind of treatment, sometimes it actually bothered him as he just wanted to be treated like anyone else, but he also knew that getting angry wouldn't help him in any way, that's why he always tried to please the crowd of fans.

After sometime Hunter left the group, because he needed to go back to his chief. Spyro and Cynder saluted warmly their friend, before returning to the exploration of the festival.

In few minutes of walking the group didn't notice nothing of really interesting, until their eyes got drawn by particular stall near one crossroad. It was a shop of jewellery and mole craftsmanship. The black dragoness inspected closely the products exposed until her eyes posed on a sparkling silver neckband. The jewel had a jaw-dropping emerald mounted in the middle and it was also adorned with fine and beautiful engravings that reminded the shape of the roots of a tree.

"Quite a beautiful piece, isn't it?"Said a voice, breaking Cynder's trance. She watched who called her and then noticed that there was the owner of the shop right in front of her, accommodated on a wooden stool.

"Yes. It's really beautiful."Answered the black dragoness.

"If you're interested in buying it, the price is two hundred and fifty coins."Said the little mole grinning. Cynder instantly frowned at the hearing of the price. Even if the Guardians had begun to give her and Spyro a weekly amount of money to spend at their own pleasure, it would take her months of savings to even think to afford that piece of jewellery.

She finally sighed."I'm sorry but I don't have enough money. Thank you anyway."She said moving past the stall. Spyro noticed from behind the scene and when Cynder left, he directed towards the mole.

"Sorry, sir. How much is for that one?"He asked, pointing his digit towards the neckband. The mole's eyes widened almost in shock.

"Master Spyro! It's really an honour to meet you."Said the mole, grabbing and shaking energetically Spyro's paw.

"Anyway, for that one it would be two hundred and fifty. But for you I can do a special price. How does one hundred and fifty sound like?"Asked the owner expectantly.

Spyro pondered for a moment how much money did he actually have left, then sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry sir, but I only have one hundred or so coins. I'm forced to renounce."He said bowing his head. The mole stood silent for few seconds, before calling back the purple dragon.

"Master Spyro, wait! One hundred it's fine, after all you did for us its the minimum I can do."Said the owner smiling. The young hero remained a bit astounded, but finally nodded back.

"Thank you so much sir. It's ok if I come here this evening to retire it?"Asked Spyro.

"Sure, Master Spyro. See you later."Answered the mole, bowing his head. The purple dragon saluted back and the caught up with his friends that, in the meanwhile, had proceeded further into the main street.

* * *

The sun climbed far up in the sky, reaching its zenith. Most of the citizen had gathered in front of a great stage that was set up that same morning in front of the Great hall.

Everything was ready to host the elemental showoff and, first in line of the audience, there were the two young heroes with their friends. Spyro was actually thrilled at the idea to see full trained dragons performing advanced elemental attacks in public. He actually looked forward to learn all those new techniques that the Guardians had anticipated to him. Today he was going to have a sneak peek of what he will be able to master in the future.

Finally the contestants arrived on the stage, and the show began. The youngster remained simply astonished by the never seen and uniques attacks that the dragons in front of them performed.

A fire dragon casted a fire bomb that, after detonating, sent countless fire rays in every direction. Instead an ice dragoness used an interesting variation of the ice shot. Practically, she sent an ice globule up in the air, with then exploded making rain down tens of deadly ice shards.

Spyro studied cautiously the participants one by one, trying to learn their moves and preparations to their performance. The show progressed seamlessly and it finally came to an end. The winner, an electricity dragoness, was announced and everybody acclaimed her witch cheers, roars and applauses. All the contestants bowed their heads to the audience, thanking them for their attention and eventually left the stage.

The viewers had already began to left when a voice shouted loud:"Where's the purple dragon!? We want to see him on stage!". Silence fell over the place.

In hearing those words, Spyro just wanted to get away as soon as possible, hoping that nobody heard whoever shouted.

"Yes, I want to see him too!"Yelled another dragon.

"Me too!"

"C'mon go on stage!"

"Show us what you got, young hero."

The voices began to multiply in the crowd until it began impossible to distinguish a word. The purple dragon gazed his friend, with a doubtful frown etched on his face. Cynder got closer to him, nuzzling his cheek.

"I'm sure you can do this. Give 'em a test of the purple dragon."She said in his ears.

Spyro sighed and finally, with a flap of his wings, he jumped on stage, facing the crowd. The audience cheered loudly at the young hero, before falling into silence once again. The purple dragon gulped, as anxiety began to rise in his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to focus as much as he could.

"_What can I do of different? I'm not even remotely as good as the others…Think Spyro…Think!_"He said in his mind. Then a spark ignited in his head.

"_Convexity! It's been a while but… I could try…_"He thought. A smile etched on his face as he began to focus on the energy flowing inside of him. The same power that permitted him to face Malefor now awaited to be called once a gain.

"_I just need a bit of it. Too much and it would be disastrous._"

He felt that ancient power rise inside of him, flowing in his veins like and with his blood. He continued in pursuing that feeling, while around him a purple aura began to form. Tendrils of violet magic began to expand from his body as the energy continued to rise in his chest.

"_There it is, now focus._"

A globule of purple magic formed in his jaws. When he couldn't hold it anymore, he blasted open his eyes, raised his head aiming upwards in the sky and finally he released all that power.

A violet beam exploded from his mouth, casting a pillar of energy that darted in the air at extreme speed. He then shut his jaws closed, cutting off the flow, while the audience watched in awe the beam rise up in the sky, warping the clouds at its passing.

In the end, the ray exploded like a firework, sending down purple ashes that glimmered in the daylight. Spyro dropped his head, panting. He felt extremely drained by the use of his power, he could feel every muscle tensed and contracting, also his hearing was deafen by the blood pumping.

That noise gradually faded away, being only replaced by the loud cheering of the crowd that literally was in awe, after that majestic display of power.

After few minutes the purple dragon walked down the stage, directing towards his friends. Cynder watched him with a concerned gaze, getting closer to him.

"Spyro, are you ok?"She asked, gently nuzzling his cheek.

"Yeah, I'm…Just a bit drained."He said with his gaze lost."…Let's go on, don't you have to attend the race soon?"He then said.

"Yes, but you are more important. Are you sure it's all ok?"Asked the black dragoness.

"Yes, Cynder, I'm fine. Now, c'mon I don't want you to be late because of me."He said with a weak smile.

Cynder finally sighed and followed him and with their fiends on their side, they began to walk in the cheering crowd.

**See you next week, thank you for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Festival of Memory - Part 2

**Hello everyone, here we have the second part of the last chapter. Hope you will enjoy it!**

**-Azotac**

The rest of the first day passed rather quickly. Cynder managed to dispute the race and also achieve a well deserved second place, just behind an adult wind dragon. She also tried to battle for the first place, but quickly tired out trying to reach and maintain the same speed as the winner.

Still she was very proud of her self and of her attainment.

Spyro watched her step on the podium situated on the northern wall, illuminated by the beautiful sunset light. The purple dragon couldn't be more proud of her, since she made really great progresses in integrating with the rest of the citizens and her decision to participate to a competition like that was a great demonstration of her will of join back into society, leaving back her dreadful past.

Soon after she returned to him and her friends, which all congratulated to her. Seeing her smiling like that was something that never got Spyro tired, at the contrary, it sparkled in him happiness and joy all the times. He admired her in awe once again, focussing on her beautiful emerald eyes that he loved so much and descending downward to-.

"_The neckband!_"He thought abruptly, widening his eyes.

"Sorry guys, I have to leave you for some time, see you later."He said to the group and without another word, he darted up in the air directing southwards. The others watched him disappear quickly in the crowd, then shrugged.

"So guys, are you enjoying the festival so far?"Asked Cynder to her friends.

"It's pretty cool I should say. There are a lot of interesting things to see and do."Stated Auros.

"I agree. It's really good to see the city back to his original state. This event was something that was needed."Continued Gaia.

"What do you want to do until midnight?"Questioned Cynder.

Gaia was about to answer, but her stomach spoke for her instead, emitting a low noise. The earth dragoness grinned a bit embarrassed.

"Well, I think this speaks for it self. Shall we grab something to eat?"She asked expectantly.

"I totally agree, since we hadn't lunch today, I'm pretty hungry."Answered Auros.

The small group of friends darted up in the air, directing towards the Great Hall.

* * *

Spyro landed in the Temple courtyard, which was being set up for the midnight show. He dodged the series of mole labourers that were working around and climbed the staircase, finally reaching the great wooden door. He speeded through the corridor and into the main hall, directing towards his room. After few minutes he entered it and began to look for that leather pouch that he never uses, so he began fumbling around with the mess of his dwelling.

"_Cynder is right, I should really get this place tidied up._"He thought.

Again after some minutes of fanatic searching, he finally found the incriminated bag underneath a pile of scrolls. He opened it and began counting the coins inside, to check if they were the right amount.

"Ninety-one, ninety-six…ninety-eight…Oh, one hundred and three! Perfect!"He muttered, between himself. He then closed the pouch and strapped it onto his right foreleg and directed to his balcony, taking flight.

When he arrived at the shop the sun was already behind the western mountains and a series of torches had been lit along the streets to keep the main ways illuminated during the night.

Spyro landed on all four, in front of the stall that he visited the same morning. The owner bowed his head to the young hero then took out from behind the stall a small wooden casket and posed it on the counter. Spyro opened it and found the neckband gently nestled inside of it, wrapped in a black velvet tissue. The purple dragon smiled and pulled out his leather bag and poured the content on the counter.

"There should be one hundred or so coins. Keep the rest as well, sir."Said the youngster, taking the casket underneath his left foreleg.

"Thank you very much, Master Spyro. Have a nice evening."Said the mole, bowing his head.

"You too."Said the dragon before taking flight back towards the temple.

The purple hero returned to his room and deposited the box safely over his desk. He opened it to admire once again the beautiful jewel, as he pictured in his mind his loved one wearing it.

"_I cannot wait to give it to her._"He thought, before directing back towards the balcony and taking flight, in search of his friends.

Few minutes later he landed in front of the Great Hall, assuming that his companions were going to have something to eat. He found his friends sat at the usual table, chatting. He reached them and he accommodated near Cynder.

"Sorry guys if I left so brutally, but I had totally forgot that I had to do a thing."He said apologetically.

Cynder was about to question him, when Auros answered:"No problem at all, Spyro. I hope it's all fixed up now."Said the white dragon smiling. Soon after a mole brought them the food.

"And you actually arrived in perfect time for dinner."He continued, passing the platters to his friends, as they all began to eat.

"Sorry Spyro if I ask, but what kind of element did you use before? I never saw purple fire."Asked Nix curiously.

"Yeah, it was really something never seen before! Is it like some secret purple dragon's stuff?"Asked excitedly Gaia.

Cynder watched Spyro with an unreadable expression, then returned to eat her meal. The young hero finished to eat before answering.

"Well, it's kinda of a long story. I don't know if you want to hear-"

"Nonsense, of course we want to hear it. Right guys?"Asked Gaia, watching Nix and Auros which both nodded in agreement.

"Plus, we got yet a couple of hours to spend before the pyrotechnical show at midnight."Continued the earth dragoness excited.

Finally Spyro sighed.

"So, the element that I used this afternoon is called Convexity or Aether. It's a really rare kind of energy that doesn't come form this world."He began

"Not from this world, what do you mean?"Asked confused Gaia.

"I mean that it literally doesn't come from this world. You see, there's a realm, also called Convexity, that acts as an airlock between our kingdom and the dark realms, where…Malefor was prisoner. It's really a weird place, Cynder and I have been there once."He continued.

"Don't make me remember it, please."Added the black dragoness, shivering.

"Aaand, what exactly does this Aether element do?"Asked Nix.

"Well, to begin with, it's a power that surpasses by far any kind of elemental magic that already exists. It practically…disintegrates instantly the enemy."Said Spyro.

The three youngsters in front of him just dropped their mouths open.

"Disintegrate? You mean…"Said Auros astounded.

"Literally kills any kind of enemy that puts between it. Some larger type take a longer time to get beaten, but in the end they all fall."Answered the purple dragon.

"That's scary… Do you know if anyone else can use this kind of power?"Asked Nix.

"The only ones that can wield convexity are me, Cynder and Malefor. But since the last one is gone, only Cynder and I remain with this affinity."Stated Spyro.

"So Cynder acquired the power from the Dark Master?"Asked Auros.

"Yes, with all the other dark elements I can wield. At least that bastard did something useful for once."Stated Cynder, snorting.

The group kept chatting about Aether for quite sometime, also listening to all the experiences of the two young heroes with that mysterious element. Minutes turned into hours and it finally came the time to leave the Great Hall for the pyrotechnical show.

Spyro and his companions took flight just outside the hall, directing southwards and they landed few minutes later in the temple courtyard, where there were already a lot of citizen gathered.

"Damn, we lost the good spots."Snorted the black dragoness.

"Hey guys, why don't we take place on the roofs up there?"Said Auros, pointing his white wing towards the buildings in front of him.

"Good idea! We're gonna have an amazing view from there."Said Cynder.

"I don't think it is safe."Said the purple dragon reluctant.

"Why not? We are smaller than adult dragons, I think the ceiling will hold our weight just fine."Replied the white dragon.

Spyro finally sighed.

"Fine, guys, let's go!"

They all took flight and in a couple of flaps of their wings, they landed on the tiles of the flat roofs. It wasn't really comfy, but they had the complete and unobstructed view of the great Temple, which was dimly lit with a series of torches arranged along the staircase and the perimeter.

They could see some dragons taking position on the roof of the building, their figures barely visible only thanks to the moons' light.

Few minutes later all the lights went out and fire bomb exploded in the air, signalling the beginning of the show.

Then it was pure wonder.

A series of colourful explosions painted the night sky, illuminating the crowd in front of the Temple and the five youngsters accommodated on the roofs. In their eyes the reflections of those beautiful fireworks. The two heroes had never seen something so beautiful in their life and they never thought that the fire element could be used in such artistic ways.

Spyro extended his right wing over Cynder and pulled her closer, she rested her head on the purple dragon's shoulder, their gaze never leaving the astounding spectacle before them. Staying closer to her loved one like that and admiring the beauty of the fireworks was really all she could ever ask.

"_I wish this moment could last forever…_"She thought.

Meanwhile Nix was watching the white dragon beside her. The colours of the pyrotechnics were dimly reflecting on his snow-white scales and on his golden chest. She couldn't do nothing but stare at him, almost losing focus on the surroundings. Auros suddenly noticed and turned to face her with a broad smile tinted on his face. Instantly she recoiled, glancing away in embarrassment.

She then felt something embracing her, as she noticed that the white dragon had extended his wing around her form. She left herself drag closer to him.

"Better like this?"He asked. The azure dragoness couldn't believe what was happening. She only nodded in response, laying her head on his chest.

The show went on for another half an hour before its ending was announced by three loud fire bombs exploding at mid air. The youngsters glided back towards the courtyard once it got emptied from the citizen leaving for their homes.

"Thank you guys for the amazing evening!"Said Gaia.

"You too. Have a goodnight and see you tomorrow."Replied Spyro.

The two young heroes and Auros directed into the Temple, while the two dragonesses took flight northward.

* * *

The morning after, the two heroes woke up together in Cynder's bed. The sun was veiled by the clouds, which casted a soft brightness all over the city. A gentle yet cold breeze coursed trough the air, making the purple and golden banners that still adorned the streets, wave silently at its flow.

The youngsters passed the second day of the great festivity resting, as it was meant to serve as a memorial to the victims of the war. Spyro and Cynder spent all the morning together, thinking about who they lost in that insane conflict that fell upon their shoulders.

Of course Spyro's thoughts flew once again to Ignitus and, with it, also the memory of that vision or dream he had few weeks before. He was still unsure about what he experienced as it seemed just too good to be true. That's why he also didn't say nothing about it. He didn't want to give to himself and to the others false hopes.

He also stood all day long comforting Cynder, who was having a more difficult time than him. The memories of all her victims were coming back afloat in her mind.

All the soldiers that lost their life under her claws, all the poor families slaughtered by her forces and her talons. All those innocent lives simply crushed by the blood thirst of a devious monster.

"Spyro, why it is so hard?"She questioned sadly.

"What's so hard?"He replied, caressing her neck.

"Remembering, it's... painful. I thought I was ready to face them in my mind. To see their faces, to hear their screams, but it's just... Terrible."She said, posing her head on his chest.

"I think that remembering pain, causes pain. Yet we need it grow stronger."He said gazing out of the window.

"And, you are the strongest dragoness I know. Nobody would stand what are you dealing with right now."He said comfortingly, draping his wing over her body in warm embrace. She snuggled closer to her purple hero, trying to grasp all of his warmth.

"Thank you, Spyro. For being here for me."She said.

"I will always be here for you. "He replied nuzzling her forehead.

* * *

The morning gradually shifted into afternoon and finally into evening, as the sun was now beginning his descent behind the western mountains. Spyro and Cynder were starting to get ready for their participation to Ignitus's memorial, when a knock came from the door.

Cynder moved towards the entrance and opened it, finding two moles with a box for each in their hands.

"Hello Miss Cynder."Started the first mole. Upon noticing that also Spyro was in the room, both the small mammals bowed their heads.

"Ah, there's Master Spyro too. Perfect."Continued the mole. They handled down their boxes onto the entrance.

"The Guardians would like you to wear these for the ceremony."Spoke the second mole.

Then the two bowed their heads and left in hurry.

Cynder watched quizzically the caskets before dragging them in and closing the door.

"What are those?"Asked Spyro curiously.

"I don't know, but the moles said that we have to wear them."She replied.

The two young dragons finally removed the lid of the boxes, revealing the content.

Inside the caskets there were two astonishing suits of armour, similar to the ones that were wearing the two Captains few weeks before. They posed the suits on the floor admiring them.

Spyro's one was of a lustrous gold with an amethyst violet streak running all across the various pieces. The chest plate was also adorned with a fiery purple drape.

Cynder's one instead was completely silver in colour, with a single golden line running in the middle of the chest plate, which was also decorated with a black cloth.

The two youngsters began to dress up, helping each other in securing the straps of the various pieces of the armours.

Cynder could only stare in wonder her purple companion while he fixed his last piece. The suit of armour fitted perfectly to him, enhancing his muscular shape and the colour of his scales.

"_He's so handsome_"She thought.

Once he finished, he helped the black dragoness to set in the back plate and in tightening the various laces and straps. He then admired her, losing himself into those emerald eyes that he loved so much.

"_The neckband!_"He suddenly realised.

"Cynder, would you like to come in my room for a second? I've got something to show you…"He then said, moving to the door. The black dragoness replied with a curios stare, before following him suit. As soon as they entered the room, Spyro placed himself in front of his companion.

"Now, you wait here, with your eyes closed."He said grinning.

"Ok, purple boy. Just because it's you."She replied. Few seconds later Spyro returned with the wooden casket that contained the neckband. He gently posed it in front of the black dragoness and lifted the lid, revealing the jewel.

"Now you can open them."He finally said. Cynder obeyed and immediately opened her eyelids in excitement. When she eventually posed her gaze on the neckband, her jaw dropped in awe.

"Would you like to try it?"Asked gently the purple just nodded in response. Spyro got closer to her, unlacing the old and battered silver bracer and replacing it with his gift. The fit was just perfect and the colour of the neckband combined seamlessly with her new armour. He moved a bit away to admire her once again.

The light of the sundown was spreading all over his room, illuminating his black dragoness of an orange-golden tint. Still the emerald of the jewel and her eyes stood out in that light. Spyro couldn't be more in awe.

"_Ancestors! She's so beautiful!_"He said in his mind. Spyro's trance was interrupted by Cynder getting suddenly closer to him. She liked his muzzle few times before posing her forehead on his, hugging him strongly with her wings.

"Thanks Spyro…For making me the happiest dragoness in the world."She said with a single tear running down from her cheek. His answer was just a tighter hug, that enveloped Cynder with his warmth.

They stood like that for quite sometime before finally leaving the room and descending towards the main hall of the Temple. There were already the three Guardians waiting for them, all suited up with their own celebratory armours, which were pretty similar to the one worn by Spyro. Each one had a different colour of the drape, recalling their element. Terrador had a lustrous moss green, Cyril's one was of a royal blue and finally Volteer's had an intense, almost golden yellow cloth. On the right shoulder plate, they had enchased the glyph of their element, which symbolised their status of Guardians.

The Earth elder faced the two youngsters with pride in his eyes.

"Ah, Spyro, Cynder. Perfect timing!"He said."I see you are wearing your new armours. Do you like them?"He then asked, getting closer to the two heroes.

"I must say they really fit you well young ones. Those mole artisans really know how to do their work."Stated Cyril.

"Of course they know how to their work, Cyril. Our dear not-scaled friends are well regarded in all the realms for their exquisite craftsmanship and fine artistry."Began Volteer, but Cyril shot him a deadly glare, that made him falter for a second.

"Am I over talking again?"Asked the electricity elder.

"Yes you are!"Answered the ice one. The young heroes giggled at the scene and finally Spyro addressed Terrador.

"They're really beautiful. Thank you."Answered the purple dragon, smiling

"I'm glad you like them. Now follow us, let's begin this ceremony."He concluded moving towards the corridor. The other two Guardians and the youngsters followed him suit.

The small convoy arrived at the wooden door, which was promptly opened by the two guards in front of it. They exited on the large open space that preceded the entrance of the Temple. At their arrival a loud roar of appreciation came from the great crowd gathered in the courtyard. Spyro noticed that the purple banners had been replaced with fiery red ones, clearly recalling the former Fire Guardian.

"_We're all here for you, Ignitus…_"He thought.

The Guardians and the two heroes descended the stairs toward the first arch. Only there he noticed that the crowd had left free a slender passage that arrived in the centre of the courtyard.

There, in the middle, it was erected the monument to the memory of the fire guardian.

Terrador watched the crowd solemnly before commencing the eulogy.

"Dear fellow citizens. Dear brothers and sisters of Warfang. Today we are reunited to celebrate the memory of the former Fire Guardian, Ignitus."He began, his voice resonating clearly around him.

"He was known for his great kindness and wisdom. He was one of the strongest lights that guided us through the darkest times of the war. He ultimately gave his life in order to permit to our two young heroes, Spyro and Cynder, to defeat the greatest evil that our world has ever faced."He paused.

Beside him the two Guardians where staring proudly at the crowd, even if Cyril had a silent tear that marked his cheek.

Terrador watched Spyro, who nodded promptly. Without hesitation, he began his descent towards the monument. He walked slowly and solemnly, as all the audience watched him. He recognised many familiar faces between the crowd: his new friends, which smiled fondly at him, Hunter and Prowlus, all the dragons and soldiers that he met during his permanence in the city.

They were all there for Ignitus. To remember him. To honour him.

A cold breeze was coursing through the courtyard, only mitigated by the last warm sun rays that filtered through the clouds.

Spyro arrived at the feet of the monument. A small altar had been erected over a raised platform of stone. On it, there was placed a golden torch, contained in an also golden bowl. Behind the altar, a column had been placed, with a ceremonial plaque fixed on it. Spyro read in his mind the words carved on it.

-_In memory of Ignitus, the Fire Guardian. May his fire burn forever, enlightening our path trough the darkest of the nights-_

A single tear slid trough Spyro's cheek as he bowed his head in front of the monument. Then with his fire breath he lighten up the torch. Its brightness spread out across the courtyard, illuminating the soft shadows of the evening.

"May his fire burn forever, enlightening our path trough the darkest of the nights."Announced Terrador, with his booming voice.

The crowd repeated his words, almost like a prayer. Soon after the courtyard began to empty, with several dragons taking flight, directing to their homes.

Spyro joined back the Guardians and Cynder in front of the entrance. The earth elder watched him with a proud gaze, while Cynder got closer to him, nuzzling his cheek.

"Thank you for joining us today, young ones. I'm sure Ignitus would be proud of you."Said the earth guardian.

"Thank you Terrador. It has been an honour."Replied Spyro.

Beside the earth guardian, Volteer was intent on comforting Cyril who was silently weeping on his shoulder.

"C'mon, old pal. Don't be sad, you know he would be mad at you if he saw you in tears."Said the electricity guardian, trying to cheer him up.

"I know, I know. It's just-"

"Difficult…"Said Spyro, now closer to him. The purple dragon hugged Cyril's right foreleg, trying to comfort him as well. The ice one draped his wing over the youngster, embracing him completely. Cynder could only smile at that scene. She knew that, dragonflies apart, the Guardians had been the only family Spyro had ever had.

Finally they parted, both the guardian and the youngster smiling at each other.

"Thank you Spyro."Said Cyril, regaining his composure. The purple dragon smiled fondly at him, before directing with Cynder to his rooms.

The young dragons arrived in their dwellings, stored away their new armours and met soon after in Spyro's room. They sat on his balcony once again, gazing at the stars. Spyro admired his black dragoness losing herself in the sky above them. The moonlight reflecting in her deep emerald eyes, and on her obsidian scales. Her gaze eventually verged over him.

"Spyro?"

"Yea?"

"You're staring…"

"Sorry. It's just… You're so beautiful. I realise only now that I never told you that."

"You're forgiven."She said with a wide grin on her face, before jumping over him. The purple dragon yelped, while Cynder giggled.

"I think you are beautiful too and very handsome I should say."She said.

"Well, thank you."He answered. The black dragoness finally posed her head on his chest, while Spyro caressed her neck gently.

"_Everything is just so perfect._"He thought, turning once again his gaze towards the starry sky.

* * *

**Thank you for coming this far in the reading. As you may have noticed, I tend not to narrate what exactly it's happening outside the protagonists' life. That's why I want the reader to be participants with them in discovering about the various events that occurs during the story.**

**The following lines are a small epilogue for this chapter, which introduce the action sequence of the next one. If you want you can read it, but I consider it as a minor spoiler. **

— Epilogue of Festival of Memory - SPOILER —

Two scouts, a fire dragon and an earth one, were making their return back to Warfang during that same night. Their patrol went smooth as usual, as no signs of threats or important enemy activities were found since the arrival of the white youngster almost one month before. They were silently flying over the once called Burned Lands, which now remained only a desert of ash and solidified lava. In far distance the fire dragon could see the huge mountain that shielded the great city from the sea winds.

He already felt at home, when a noise came from his right, he turned around alarmed, only to find that his companion was not there anymore. He halted at midair, scanning his surroundings, but he found no signs of his comrade. He called his name multiple times, but no answers were received.

Suddenly a jolt of pain came form his underbelly, he clutched his abdomen with his paw, only to find an arrow firmly planted in his flesh. He didn't have time to react that another series of arrows reached him, tearing his wing membranes and his muscles. He emitted a low growl before plummeting into the darkness below.

A contorted figure emerged from the shadows. In its eyes, the reflection of the moons and the great wall of the dragon city.


	13. Chapter 13 - Downfall

**Hi, new chapter here. With this one, I gave the plot a big turn. Hope you will enjoy this second part of the whole story. Let me know in the reviews!**

**-Azotac**

Everything was calm and silent in the great dragon capital that morning. The sun had just begun its journey through the cloudy sky, shedding its golden rays over the asleep city. The red and golden banners waved silently, moved by the cold northern wind. The streets were completely empty since all the stalls were dismantled the night before.

A lone ice soldier was walking along the main street, following his usual patrol routine.

His pace was slow but steady. The noise of his talons on the cobblestone streets and the metallic sound of his armour were echoing into the silence.

All of a sudden a powerful noise came to his ears, slapping him out of his sleepy trance. A thunderous sound, like a thousand dragons roaring, boomed into the city. Instantly, a chill ran down his spine as his face tinted with pure dismay.

It was the war horn.

That old relic from the ancient wars stood silent for over one month, but now his gloomy call came back haunting his ears. He immediately darted up in the sky, directing to the northern wall. In the distance he glimpsed his comrades moving fast over the ramparts of the great barrier, but as soon as he landed, his heart fell. Far in the distance, near the hills that preceded the Burned Lands, he could see a black swarm directing at great speed towards them.

"Corporal Nemes!"Called a booming voice.

The young soldier turned around, only to find Captain Baldur standing tall in front of him. Nemes bowed his head.

"At your orders, captain."He said.

"I want you to gather fifty soldiers and organise the defences of the northern courtyard. Create barricades, trenches, whatever you need."Ordered the earth captain.

"Yessir!" Shouted the corporal, before taking flight towards the barracks.

"Lieutenant Cyreus!" Called Baldur. The other ice soldier arrived few seconds later in a hurry.

"You wanted to see me, captain?"He asked.

"Yes. Go to the Temple and alert captain Ashen. Tell him to inform as soon as possible the Guardians about the situation. Also ask if he can give us some reinforcements. We'll need all the help we can get."Said the captain. In an instant, the soldier took flight directing southwards.

Baldur moved his gaze towards the horizon. Now the mass of enemies was clearly visible at the sunlight. Few moments later, a wind dragon landed at his side.

"Ah, private Zephyrus. Report."Said the earth dragon.

"They're grublins, sir."Said panting the scout.

"I need numbers, soldier! Not you to tell me what I already know."He shouted. The wind dragon recoiled a little.

"At least one thousand between normal grublins and orcs, sir. Plus some trolls."Said grimly the soldier, clenching his underbelly. Baldur noticed it and inspected the dragon in front of him. An arrow had managed to pierce his armour, implanting in his flesh.

"Go to the infirmary and get this wound cured. We'll need your help out there today."Said the earth captain. The wind dragon nodded, then took flight.

Baldur turned his gaze once again to his enemies.

"_How it's possible that a so large number of enemies went completely undetected from our scouts?_"He thought, angrily.

In him a faint sense of fear began to rise, but he quickly shoved it away.

"_May the Ancestors help us…_" He whispered.

* * *

Spyro and Cynder were sleeping soundly when the war horn call arrived to their ears. They both woke up instantly, watching each other in the eyes with a terrified expression.

"What in the name of the Ancestors was that?"Said Cynder gazing out of the window.

"I don't know. But I don't think is something nice."Replied Spyro.

The couple stood up soon after, directing towards the balcony to try to understand the source of that terrible noise. They saw a series of dragons soldier flying towards the northern wall.

"This can't be good!"They both exclaimed.

"We should go to see the Guardians."Suggested Spyro. Cynder nodded and they both flung themselves in the corridor and down the stairs, hoping to find the three elders already awake in the main hall.

They arrived in the great room and, luckily for them, the Guardians were already discussing in the middle of the place, so the youngsters reached them in no time.

"Terrador, what's happening? We heard that noise and-"Began Spyro, but he was interrupted by the earth guardian.

"We also don't know what's happening, Spyro. That noise was the call of the war horn, an omen of misfortune."Said grimly the elder, with a concerned frown etched on his face.

The purple dragon observed the other two guardians, which seemed to be preoccupied as their earth colleague.

"So what do we do?"He asked. Terrador was about to answer, when the great wooden door suddenly blasted open. A dragon rushed inside, travelling in the corridor at great speed.

The figure arrived in the main hall, almost slipping on the marble floor.

"Captain Ashen! I sincerely hope that you're bringing us some needed informations about this unknown situation we're about to face."Stated Volteer. The Fire Captain regained his composure, before bowing his head.

"My Guardians, young dragons, I bring the word of Captain Baldur of the Warfang Guard."He paused, slightly panting.

"A swarm of enemies has been spotted at the border of the forest before the Burned Lands. They're directing towards our city at great speed."He begun.

"I don't know yet the composition or the numbers of the enemy, but the soldier that reported to me seemed utterly dismayed."He continued.

"What are your orders, my Guardians?"Asked finally the fire dragon.

The three elders watched each other, a deep frown etched on their faces, while the two youngsters couldn't yet realise the news they just heard. After all they've done to ensure peace in the realms, their world, their life, was on the verge of war. Again.

"Prepare the defences of the inner city and escort here at the Temple all the civilians that dwells near the northern wall."Ordered Terrador.

The fire captain nodded, then left in a hurry.

"Volteer, Cyril and I will reach captain Baldur at the ramparts."He continued. Then his gaze verged on the two youngsters near them.

"What do you want to do, young ones?"He asked gently. Spyro and Cynder watched each other, and nodded in unison.

"We will help, as best as we can."Said the purple one, with a firm determination in his eyes. The earth elder smiled proudly at the couple.

"Very well, follow us to the northern wall."Said Terrador in response.

Then, they all departed from the main hall in a hurry, exited in the courtyard and took flight directing northward.

* * *

Auros woke up in a jolt too, at the hearing of that booming sound, as he almost fell from his bed from the fright. In an instant, a bad feeling rose in his chest. He had already heard a similar noise once in his life, that same night of the attack at his village. A series of images of that fateful hours began rushing in his head. The fire burning and consuming the houses, the screams of terror, the smell of smoke and blood…

He clenched his jaws and put his paws on his head.

"C'mon Auros! This is no time to have bad memories."He said to himself, trying to shove away those images. After few minutes he regained his composure and directed towards his balcony. He only glimpsed few dragon soldiers flying back and forth from the northern wall. He came back in his room, thinking about what to do.

"_Maybe I should see if Spyro and Cynder are already up, they surely will know what to do._"He thought directing towards the upper floors. Few minutes later he arrived in front of their doors. He knocked Spyro's one for first, but no one answered. He then tried Cynder's one, but again, no answers. He peeked inside the room, only to find it completely empty.

"T_hey already left…_"

The white dragon closed the door and directed towards the stairs and to the main hall of the temple, hoping to find the Guardians or his friends somewhere.

Auros arrived in the main room, but he found no one again. Then a voice came from down the corridor.

"Are you looking for someone, young one?"

Auros moved on, only to see a dragon guard coming in his direction.

"Yes sir. I was looking for Spyro or the Guardians, did you perhaps see them?"Asked politely the white dragon.

"They all left few minutes ago for the northern wall."Answered the soldier.

"Ok, thank you."Said Auros, moving for the great wooden door.

"Be careful, young dragon. I fear there will be blood in the wind today."Said the guard grimly.

"Let's hope it won't be ours."Replied the white youngster, before exiting the Temple.

He stood on the staircase, watching the cloudy sky, which was getting darker and darker.

"_I should fetch Nix and Gaia, I'm sure they would like to give a paw._"He thought. Then, without hesitation, he darted up in the air, directing towards Nix's house, hoping at least to find her. He soared fast over the city, which now was waking up, after the call of the horn. He could see many citizen moving quickly in the streets, probably running home. Many were barricading inside their dwellings or others were moving towards the Temple, in search of protection.

He glimpsed a squadron of soldiers directing to the northern wall, they seemed in a hurry.

"_I'd better be quick._"He thought, flapping faster his wings.

Auros landed on all four in front of the residential tower where Nix lived. He was about to knock the door, when it blasted open, almost hitting him in the face.

"Auros, what are you doing here?"Asked a concerned voice.

"Gaia?What are _you_ doing here?"Replied the white youngster. Meanwhile, behind the earth dragoness, Nix emerged from the door, closing it. She then noticed the presence of the white dragon.

"Oh…Hi Auros."She said, a bit shyly.

"Hi Nix"He replied smiling.

"You know, it's actually a good thing that you came here. We were coming to get you anyway."Said Gaia.

"To do what?"Asked Auros quizzically.

"Duh. To help Spyro and Cynder, of course. I saw them flying with the Guardians to the wall few minutes ago. They all seemed to be pretty worried."She said.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."Said the white dragon taking flight, the other two dragoness following him suit.

While they were getting closer to the wall, Auros glimpsed a purple figure.

"There they are!"He said diving. Soon after the three youngsters landed on the northern barrier, just behind the Guardians. Spyro turned around in a jolt.

"Guys! What are you doing here?"He asked worriedly.

"We came here to help, we want-"Tried to say Gaia, but Terrador interrupted her.

"Young dragons, we really appreciate your will to help the city in this situation, but this is far different from training. Here there are your lives at stakes, we don't want to put you in danger."He said.

"Spyro and Cynder have a lot of experience in fighting and they already helped us in dealing with the previous siege. That's why we are letting them participate."Explained Terrador.

The youngster fell in silence, bowing their head in defeat.

"Terrador, maybe we should let them stay with the defence party in the courtyard below. I'm sure that corporal Nemes will take good care of them."Suggested Cyril.

The earth elder pondered the suggestion for few seconds before finally nodding.

"Fine. You three will help-"Terrador was interrupted by a booming sound coming from the catapult. They all turned to face their enemies which now were few hundred meters from the wall.

"It has begun…"Said Cyril.

"Quick, you three reach Corporal Nemes. He's an ice dragon, pale blue scales with golden eyes. Tell him that I've assigned you to his squadron."Said the earth guardian.

Auros, Nix and Gaia nodded in unison and dived down behind the rampart.

"Captain Baldur!"Called Terrador.

"Yes, Master Terrador?"Answered the dragon.

"Prepare your soldiers and tell them to begin the aerial attack. We need to get rid of the archers before we can engage frontally."Ordered the guardian.

"Yessir!"Shouted Baldur, before turning around and begin to call his troops. In few seconds, eighty or so dragons took flight in the direction of the grublins.

A shower of elemental attacks invested the enemies, creating also a deep wall of dust that ascended from the terrain. The archers didn't lose time and prepared to retaliate to the dragons.

A cloud of dark arrows came out of the dust, hitting several soldiers.

"Attack from the sides to the middle. I need two wind dragons to cover us."Shouted Baldur.

Immediately the soldiers split in two groups, which directed to the opposite sides of the swarm. The squadrons did as commended the captain, one wind dragon stood in lead, deflecting most of the arrows with its wind blow, while the other soldiers attacked fiercely the grublin archers. Baldur hovered above the battlefield, watching pleased the enemy being annihilated.

"_This can't be so easy…_"He thought. After few minutes of repeated attacks, he and his soldiers returned quickly to the rampart.

"My Guardians, we succeeded in eliminating most of the archers. We are ready to engage frontally at your command."Said the captain.

"Very well, Baldur. Engage. We will be covering you from the air."Answered Cyril.

"Young dragons, follow Captain Baldur and stay close to him."Said Terrador. Spyro and Cynder nodded and followed Baldur and his soldiers in their dive to the battlefield. They landed in the dust, forming a line in front of the main gate. Before them, the swarm of grumblings was getting closer and closer. A droplet fell over Spyro's muzzle, as he gazed the sky above him.

It was going to rain soon.

He turned his look to Cynder, who smiled fondly at him. He knew that no matter what happened that day, he would always have her by his side. It was the only thing that mattered to him.

"PREPARE!"Shouted Baldur, his gaze fixed on the wall of enemies in front of them.

All the soldiers assumed a battle stance. Some roars and snarls elevated from the squadron, as they prepared for the fight.

"ATTACK!"Ordered finally the captain.

The dragons charged at full speed towards the grublins. A series of elemental attacks sprung out of the offending squadron, hitting frontally the first line of enemies. The grublins roared fiercely in response as they got closer to the dragons. Eventually the two forces crashed onto each other, as the real battle begun.

Spyro and Cynder didn't lose time, as they engaged brutally the grublins in front of them, tearing their flesh and spilling their dark blood. They stood back to back, disseminating destruction and death all around them, mindful of their experiences in dealing with those creatures. Nevertheless the two young heroes quickly found themselves surrounded by the enemy, which now was attacking from every direction. They dodged every attempt of offence, retaliating with their claws and elemental attacks. Spyro let his right flank exposed for a brief period of time, a grublin caught the occasion and raised his crude blade, aiming straight for the purple dragon. Spyro noticed too late to dodge. He braced himself for the hit, which never arrived, as the soldier in font of him fell dead soon after, with an arrow implanted in his head.

Spyro looked up to the rampart, only to glimpse Hunter with his bow who had join the fight.

"_Thank you, my friend…_"Thought Spyro, before returning his focus to the brawl. Behind them, few grublins managed to breach the line of soldiers and began to punch the gate and to dive into the terrain.

"Don't let them pass!"Ordered Baldur.

* * *

Meanwhile, behind the wall, everything was ready to contain and annihilate the enemy in case it managed to pass the main gate. The noise coming from the battle raging outside and constant booming sound of the catapult where enough to send a chill running down Nix's spine.

"I hope they're good out there…"She said.

"I'm sure they are. We're talking about Spyro and Cynder, after all."Answered Auros.

Then a noise caught everyone's attention.

There, in the middle of the northern courtyard, a hole had suddenly appeared. Everyone stood silent, while a grublin came out from the terrain before their eyes.

The creature watched itself around angrily, before raising his sword to the air. It didn't have enough time to scream, that an ice shard pierced its throat and impaled it on the wall. The corporal raised an eyebrow in disbelief, before turning to the source of the attack.

"Nice shot, young one."Stated Nemes, watching the white youngster.

"But next time, await for my orders."Continued the soldier.

"Sorry sir." Said Auros bowing his head.

"Everyone get ready! They're coming!"Said the corporal to his forces.

New holes began to form in the terrain as a series of grublins jumped out and charged the soldiers. The dragons retaliated fiercely, killing every creature as soon as they got out of the ground.

"Keep going!"Shouted Nemes.

For a brief period of time, the enemy seemed to be defeated, but soon after a new wave of grublins came emerging from the terrain, more numerous than before. The dragons began to engage in close range combat, tearing apart those horrid creatures.

The three youngsters were fighting together, back to back, when an orc suddenly emerged from behind the barricades, raising its axe towards the unaware azure dragoness. Auros noticed it and shot an ice shard that punched through the creature's head, making it fall dead to the ground.

Nix turned around to thank him, but the smile on her face turned instantly into terror. In helping her, the white dragon had left his defences down for a moment and a grublin took advantage of his sudden weakness to slash his crude sword along his left flank. The youngster snarled in pain as the sword tore his flesh. He retaliated almost instantly, killing his attacker, before falling on his belly to the ground. Blood poured from the gash over his white scales and onto the muddy terrain. The azure dragoness flung herself by his side, while he patched his injury with a thin layer of ice to stop the bleeding. The white youngster managed to stand up, his hind legs trembling a bit.

"Bring him to the infirmary, quick!"Ordered Nemes upon noticing his wound.

"I can still fight, sir-"

"No, you can't!"He then turned to the ice dragoness." Bring him to Aramis, we will cover you."Said the corporal, returning to the fight.

"C'mon Auros, let's go. Can you fly?"Asked Nix apprehensively. Auros exercised his left wing, flinching for the pain.

"Yes, but not for too long…"He finally answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now let's go."

* * *

Outside the wall the fight was still raging. Everyone tried its best to keep a consistent line of defence to prevent the attackers to pass over, but as soon as they seemed to have gained an advantage point, new hordes of enemies arrived from nothing.

Worsening the situation the trolls had arrived at a dangerous distance from the main gate, as they became the top priority of the defence party.

Spyro and Cynder offered to take down the bigger troll on their own, since their multiple encounters with those kind of creatures. The couple immediately charged the enemy, with Cynder using her venom element to melt away great part of the outer shell, while Spyro, using his ice breath aimed to the joints and managed to slow down the monster.

The troll growled ferociously, trying to smash with its massive fists the two youngsters. They easily dodged the attacks and retaliated with both venom and fire, dealing an impressive amount of damages. The troll began to give some signs of abating as its movements were visibly slowed and desperate. The two youngsters kept attacking relentlessly, until the monster was almost on the verge of crumbling. They reunited in front of it, preparing to inflict the killing blow, when the troll suddenly jumped with an impressive speed towards their direction, smashing its forelimbs to the ground and sending the two young heroes in opposite directions, far away from each other.

Spyro hit hard the ground, tumbling for few meters in the dirt and the mud. His head was pounding like a drum and a dull pain was beginning to diffuse from his chest to the rest of the body. He grunted, trying to stand up on his paws. His vision was partially blurred, but he could still distinguish what was happening round him.

The last grublins were still going on with the attack, launching themselves in the direction of the main gate, completely ignoring his presence. He raised his head in search of his black dragoness, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"CYNDER!"He called desperately.

"Cynder!"He tried once again, but his voice got completely lost in the noise of the battle. Suddenly a sharp pain came from his right shoulder, as a dark arrow implanted firmly in his flesh. Spyro snarled in agony, before retaliating and killing his attacker. He removed the arrow from his shoulder and patched the wound with ice, as he was taught during his training. He threw the arrow to the ground before making his way towards the wall, when a sudden dizziness caught him by surprise. Few steps later his legs began to fail and he fell into the mud, with his vision becoming all a blur. The last thing he felt was that someone or something grabbed him by his tail and began to drag his body in the dirt. Short after, his senses failed completely and his vision plummeted into darkness.

* * *

Cynder managed to soften her landing with a gust of wind aimed to the terrain. Her head was spinning a bit from the hit received by the troll. It took her few minutes to gain back the control. She stood up on her paws to gaze at her surroundings, when a loud and guttural roar broke through the battlefield.

All the grublins and orcs remaining suddenly raised their heads in the direction of the noise and soon after they began to retire at great speed.

Cynder had to take flight rather quickly to avoid being crushed under the charge of enemies returning towards the woods that preceded the Burned Lands.

"_Did we win?_"She thought smiling, but her happiness didn't last long, as her thoughts flew to her missing purple companion.

"_Spyro! I need to find him._"

She gained height trying to see if she could find him in that sea of dead enemies and mud. She soared over the battlefield for over thirty minutes while the soldiers drove away the last grublins. To her dismay, she found no sign of the purple dragon.

"_Maybe he already returned…_"She said to herself, finally directing towards the main gate of the city. She landed on the rampart, were many other soldiers were regrouping. She glimpsed the guardians talking with captain Baldur and she directed towards them.

Upon noticing the young dragoness the elders turned to her.

"Cynder! Thank you for your help today. You and Spyro have been essential in the battle."Said Cyril smiling. She was about to ask about him when Terrador interrupted.

"About that, where's young Spyro? Wasn't him with you?"Asked the earth elder to the black dragoness. At that question a sense of discomfort began rise in Cynder.

"I came to ask you the same question. We got separated during the fight and now I'm not able to find him anywhere. I've already checked the battlefield but I found nothing."She said with a tinge of sadness in her words.

"I'm sure Spyro is fine, maybe he went to the infirmary to check your friend Auros. You should look there."Said Terrador.

"Ok thanks, see you later."She said swiftly, before darting up in the air.

The Guardians saw her disappear quickly behind the great buildings of the city, before returning their attention to the earth captain.

"So, you were telling us, Baldur?"Asked Cyril.

"Sir, I'm happy to confirm that we suffered no casualties during the defence and that the injured are being all transferred to the infirmary. Also the walls are completely undamaged, so there's no need to repair."Stated the soldier.

"Very well, captain. Thank you for your service today. You're dismissed."Said Terrador. Baldur bowed his head and then left. There was a contemplative silence for few minutes, as the Guardians gazed the cloudy sky gradually clearing form the rain clouds.

"What do you think about the missing of Spyro?"Asked suddenly Cyril, with a worried tone.

"I'm sure he's fine. That young dragon can look after himself."Said confidently Terrador.

"Yeah…"Answered Cyril, with Volteer standing silent beside him with a concerned face.

* * *

Cynder arrived few minutes later in front of the infirmary. She entered quickly the white building and, upon indication from a mole, directed towards Auros's room.

She opened the door, only to find Auros laid on his right side with a layer of bandages over his left flank. He smiled as soon as the black dragoness entered the room.

"Oh, hi Cynder. I'm glad to see you are ok."He said.

"What happened to you?"She asked, getting closer.

"I got distracted… But I'm glad I did, otherwise there would be Nix on this bed, maybe in a worse condition than me."He stated.

The black dragoness smiled at the white dragon.

"Are her and Gaia ok? I didn't see them around today."Asked Cynder.

"Yes, yes. Nix went to her parents and I think Gaia is looking for her dad to check if he's fine."Answered Auros.

"What about Spyro, is he ok?"Asked then the white youngster.

"Didn't he come here after the battle?"Asked anxiously the dragoness.

"No, I haven't seen him since we parted this morning."Said Auros. At that answer, Cynder began to get seriously worried.

"Sorry Auros, I've got to go. Hope you get well soon."She said before running out from his room, leaving the white dragon alone on his bed.

She darted up in the air as soon she left the building. She began searching every place possible, hoping to find some indication of his presence. She searched the great hall, the temple and his room, Ignitus's memorial monument, the main street, but she found even asked Sparx if he saw him that day, but his answer was the same as all the others. Nobody saw her companion since the beginning of the battle. Frustration and grief began to grasp Cynder's chest as she finally returned to the Temple to meet the Guardians. She flung herself along the corridor and into the main hall, where, fortunately, the elders were discussing with Hunter and the two captains.

"Terrador! I can't find him!"She said, halting in front of them.

"Calm, young dragoness. Who can't you find?"Asked gently the guardian.

"Spyro! I looked everywhere, but he seemed to be disappeared, nobody has seen him since this morning!"She said with a high pitched voice. At that news, all the present in the room frowned deeply.

"Are you sure that nobody saw him anywhere? It's kinda difficult to miss someone like him."Stated Ashen.

"I'm certain. I am the last one who saw him during the battle."She answered.

At that statement, the Guardians understood the seriousness of the question.

"Very well. Ashen, Baldur, I need you to organise a small search party to look for him around the city. Tell the citizens that whoever saw Spyro, must immediately report to us."Said Terrador, turning to the soldiers.

"Yessir!"Said in unison the captains, before leaving. Hunter meanwhile, knelt near Cynder, putting his paw over her shoulder.

"Young dragoness, would you like to show me where did you see him the last time? Maybe we could find some useful informations there."Said the cheetah. The black dragoness nodded silently.

It took them some time to arrive at the main gate, since the poor Hunter couldn't fly, but eventually they arrived in the northern courtyard. They exited the barrier and Cynder led her friend to where she and Spyro had fought with the troll.

The creature was still there in the same spot where it died soon after its final attack. She watched her surroundings, trying to orientate.

"This troll attacked us here, I was sent in that direction, while Spyro went on my opposite side. So he must have gone in that way."Said Cynder, pointing her wing.

"Very good. Let's see if we can find something."Said Hunter.

They moved where Cynder had indicated, searching the terrain for any sign of the purple dragon. The duo rummaged around the dead bodies of the grublins for quite some time, when finally Hunter called for Cynder.

"You found something?"She asked expectantly. In his paws, Hunter had the tip of an arrow, incrusted with mud, dried blood and a weird bluish mixture.

"I think he was here, before getting hit by this."Said the cheetah, jerking his head towards the ground. Even if was partially cancelled by a series of foot prints, a shape of a dragon imprinted in the mud was still recognisable. Hunter sniffed the arrow, before carefully putting it in his pouch.

He moved forward for few meters, inspecting the terrain. The sign of a body being dragged were also clearly visible. The cheetah halted and Cynder almost stumbled on him. He crouched. His muzzle almost touching the mud. He then carefully piked up something small with his sharp talons and cleaned it from the sludge with his cloak. A deep frown etched on his face as he showed the small object to Cynder, who was waiting expectantly a response.

When she posed her eyes over the thing he held, her heart skipped a beat.

It was a purple scale.

Hunter closed his paw and stored the scale into a different pouch.

"Come."He then said, following closely the trail before him. They walked for some more minutes until Hunter halted once again.

"The tracks stop here."He stated. "They must have lifted him, to carry him more easily."He added, inspecting the ground.

Cynder frowned deeply."You say that they…took him?How…"

"Venom. The tip of the arrow was coated with a sedative mixture."He said coldly, holding in his paw another purple scale he just found.

"We must immediately report to the Guardians. He's to be considered in serious danger."Said Hunter, turning to the dragoness. It took a moment to Cynder to process all that was happening, but she finally nodded, following closely the cheetah.

It took them almost an hour to return to the Temple, where they found the Guardians speaking again with captain Ashen. They entered quickly in the main hall, interrupting their discussion.

"Hunter, Cynder! I hope you bring good news."Said worriedly Cyril.

"I'm sorry, but it's not the case."Answered Hunter.

"Cynder and I have found enough proofs to suggest that young Spyro has been captured by our enemy."Said the cheetah. At his words the Guardians recoiled in dismay, as deep frown formed on their faces.

"We found traces of a small dragon being dragged for dozens and dozens of meters. On the trail we found a couple of purple scales embedded in the mud. They seem to have used a sedative venom to take him down."Reported Hunter, showing what he and Cynder had found in the battlefield. Terrador got closer to the duo, inspecting carefully the tip of the arrow. He retracted his muzzle and, with a snarl, he addressed the other guests.

"Spyro's scent is on that arrow. This confirms your theory, Hunter."He stated grimly.

"This is utterly terrifying! How dared those filthy monsters to kidnap our young friend with a so infamous, horrible, unsavoury method! I swear they going to pay. Ancestors know what are they doing to him!"Exclaimed Volteer angrily.

"The thing that scares me more is… Why did they take him in the first place? They can't ask a ransom. This means there's something more under all this problem." Said Hunter, caressing slowly his chin with a worried frown on his face.

"It's a thing that we'll figure out later."Interrupted the Earth Guardian." The top priority now is to locate where he's being hold captive. Ashen, I need you to send a group of scouts following the direction of the retreat of the enemy. Tell them to report any kind grublin activity. We don't have time to waste."Ordered Terrador. Instantly the captain dashed out of the Temple and to the barracks. The earth elder got closer to Cynder, placing his strong paw over her shoulder. She gazed at him, with pure sadness in her eyes.

"Don't worry Cynder. We'll find him, no matter what."He said.

"I hope you're right."She said, before directing to her room.

The black dragoness opened her door slowly before throwing her exhausted body on the bed. She gripped firmly the neckband with her right paw, her thoughts flew again to her purple dragon.

"_Spyro…_"

With the last image of his smile planted in her mind, she closed her eyes trying to rest, while a silent tear slid through her cheek.

**Thank you for reading! See you, hopefully, next week.**


	14. Chapter 14 - Echoes of Darkness - Part 1

**Hi, here we have a new chapter, but I must warn you about this one, since it contains some strong images that could hurt someone's sensibility. Thank you very much for the reviews I received, I hope to keep up with the good work. Have a good reading and a nice day.**

**-Azotac**

His vision flickered momentarily, before falling back into obscurity. His mind was completely blank, as he couldn't recall what appended to him before he lost his senses. No matter how he tried, his head seemed to be stuck, unable to think, unable to remember. He didn't know if he was breathing. He didn't even know if he was alive at all, as he just felt nothing. Eventually he sensed himself slip away again, as his dim consciousness faded again into the void.

An indefinite amount of time later, he gained back his dulled senses and he managed to slowly open his eyes and weakly raise his head. His vision was all blurred but he could still distinguish some basic shapes around him. He found himself in what seemed to be a cave, dimly illuminated by a violet light that came from the ceiling. He tried to gaze at the source of the light, but as soon as he did it, a sense of terror began to rise in his chest.

It was a dark crystal.

He tried to move his limbs, but he quickly found that he had been chained with his back to the humid wall with a series of tight metal restraints. With his senses now gradually returning, he now was also beginning to feel the magical drain and the unbearable hissing of that abomination over his head. He felt every bit of his remaining energy being slowly and almost painfully took away by the crystal.

Spyro tried again to move, forcing his weak limbs to jerk out from the wall but it was no use. Panic began to take him. He tried to scream for help, but he found that also his muzzle had been constrained with tight knotted rope, which barely permitted him to breath. The purple dragon dropped his head in defeat and exhaustion, trying to reflect on his current unknown situation. A river of unanswered questions flowed through his mind._Where was he?Why was him captured?Is the city safe? Most importantly, are Cynder and his friends safe_?

"_I hope they're fine, at least…_"He thought. Then, all of a sudden, a strong noise came to his ears and, soon after, a small, contorted creature entered the cave where he was held prisoner.

A small grublin walked towards him and stopped in front of his figure, watching curiously the dragon. Spyro snarled threateningly at the creature, which didn't divert its gaze from him.

Its face tinted with a devious grin, before extracting what seemed to be a dagger, from a pouch on his back. The purple dragon instantly frowned at the sight of that blade. Spyro studied as best as he could the weapon held by the grublin. It was composed by small wooden handle and an oversized blade which seemed to be made of some sort of shining purple glass. Then he realised a terrifying truth. The blade was made of a dark crystal, as it radiated the same dark energy as the one on the ceiling.

The grublin meanwhile got closer, studying curiously the purple dragon. It finally posed the tip of the blade at the height of his flank. Spyro watched terrified the creature, as it began to feel the drain from the crystal. The small figure in front of him, eventually raised its head, grinning creepily at the dragon and without hesitation it pushed the blade in his flesh.

A jolt of indescribable pain coursed through the young dragon, as the monster before him slowly dragged the dagger from his flank across his chest, leaving a not deep, but pretty agonising wound. Crimson blood poured over his purple scales and onto the floor, slowly forming a puddle underneath his paws.

Spyro wanted to scream, but the rope didn't allow it, leaving out just a muffled wail. He was almost fainting from the pain, when a sudden good sensation flowed into his body. He opened his eyes, only to find the grublin with a red gem in its hand, pushed against his scales. As soon as the blood stopped to pour out, the creature removed the gem, leaving just an open gash into the purple dragon scales. Pleased by its work, the grublin moved away from the dragon and disappeared in the darkness.

Spyro felt his senses slip away once again, his vision fell into obscurity.

"_At least I won't feel the pain anymore…_"He thought lastly.

* * *

No peaceful sleep came to Cynder that night, as her worst fears came back infesting her dreams. She saw Spyro's body being found, broken and battered. His once glistening violet eyes were now spent and without life. A sense of grief and despair rushed in her, as she woke up painting heavily, trying to convince herself that it was just a terrifying nightmare. She didn't close her eyes from that moment until dawn came to illuminate the sky and her room. Cynder didn't manage to get up, as she was just too tired from her restless night. Eventually she fell asleep and, once again, her dreams were haunted with her dreadful fears.

"…"

"_..ss Cynder…_"

The black dragoness heard a voice, but she wasn't sure if it was in her mind or if it was someone that was really calling for her. A loud knock followed closely to the call, making her understand that it wasn't a dream after all.

"Miss Cynder?"Said once again the unknown voice. Cynder opened her eyes, squinting them briefly for the sudden presence of light in her room.

"_What time is it?_"She asked to her self. Then another loud knock came from the doorway.

She groaned and pushed herself onto her paws a dragged her tired body to the entrance. She opened the door only to find a mole in front of it.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss, but the Guardians requested your immediate presence to a meeting."Stated the mole.

"Yes, of course. Tell them I'll be there in few minutes."She sighed, trying to close the door, but the mole stopped her, putting his paw on the handle.

"Please, Cynder. They said it's really important."Said the small creature. The black dragoness, sighed again, before exiting her room, following the mole.

The furry mammal, guided her down the stairs and to the main hall, but weirdly the mole kept on going, to another door situated on the opposite side. Cynder followed him curiously, as she never seen that part of the Temple before. They walked for few more minutes, crossing a large corridor that led to the other side of the great building.

Finally the mole stopped in front of a wooden door, guarded by two Temple soldiers. The mammal gestured the entrance bowing his head, then left. The black dragoness watched quizzically the door and the two guards, before pushing it open. As soon as she entered, she remained stunned by the structure of the room. It was a circular space with a great round stone table placed in the middle. The walls were filled with bookshelves, packed with thick tomes and ancient scrolls. The place was illuminated by a circular opening in the middle of dome-like ceiling, which casted a column of bright light in the middle of the table. The three Guardians stood in front of her, at the other side of the table. Near them the two captains were also sat, this time without their armours. The last guests were Hunter and, surprisingly, Sparx which hovered silently over the cheetah's shoulder.

They all gazed at the young dragoness that had just entered the room.

"Ah, Cynder. Please have a seat, we were waiting for you."Said Cyril, gesturing an available spot near the fire captain. She moved to where the ice guardian had indicated, taking place near Ashen, which smiled briefly at her. Just then, she noticed that in the middle of the table there was a round space filled with a some sort of grey sand. She wanted to ask the Guardians what was this place, but in the end she kept her curiosity.

"Well, since we're all here, we can begin our meeting."Said Terrador, placing his paw on the stone table. The pad of his foot suddenly began to glow with a glint of green earth energy, as the sand in the middle of the table began to move and take the shape of what seemed to be a mountain. The guardian finally removed his paw from the stone and the material stabilised, taking form of the mountain range that towered over the Burned Lands. Cynder recognised those peaks almost instantly, as she and Spyro glimpsed them during their journey and ascension to the Floating Islands.

"So, the scouts that we sent yesterday have returned from their mission."Began Terrador.

"They reported to have glimpsed a small group of grublin soldiers directing towards this mountain range, which it's sited in the north-eastern zone of the Burned Lands. They followed them as close as they could, without being spotted, but the enemy group disappeared in a cave beneath the slopes of the mountains." Concluded the guardian.

"It's our belief that these peaks are where there's more probability to find Spyro, as they are also near to where the grublins came to siege Warfang the last time, before the end of the war."Added Cyril.

"We know that it's risky shot, going into a rescue mission without having the certainty of the holding place, but right now is the only track we have."Admitted the ice guardian.

"So what's the plan, big guys?"Asked Sparx, breaking the silence.

"We are here to discuss this, my young friend. "Answered Volteer to the dragonfly.

"Our idea is to set up a small squad, fifteen elements at most, which will travel to the designated location. The route we studied is quite longer, but we greatly reduce the risk of any kind of ambush, since we won't directly pass over the Burned Lands" Stated Cyril.

"The journey will take us, at best, a full day of flight, before we arrive at the slopes of the mountains. There we will set our base camp and rest for the night."Continued the ice Guardian.

"At the first lights of dawn, we will depart for the peaks and bring back our Spyro."Concluded Cyril. All those presents nodded with determination.

"What about the formation of the squad?"Asked Cynder, gazing the guardians. Terrador was about to speak when Baldur interjected.

"Sir, I can gather few specialised soldiers from our ranks. I'm sure they'll be willing to help."He said. The elder nodded in agreement, then addressed the back dragoness.

"Cynder your help would be very welcome, but we don't oblige you to-"The guardian was interrupted.

"Of course I will help, Terrador."Replied firmly the dragoness.

"I'm coming too. "Said suddenly Sparx, raising his hand.

"Me too."Said Hunter.

"Very well, that's set. Cyril and I will accompany you, while Volteer will stay back in order to keep the city safe. Captain Ashen will assist you."Said Terrador, turning to his electric colleague.

"Good decision, Terrador. "Replied Volteer.

"Since we decided everything, this meeting is concluded. We will depart in two hours, from the eastern wall. I suggest to bring some gems for extra safety and a light armour."Said finally the earth Guardian, standing up. All the presents did the same, moving for the door. The group left the council room and moved along the corridor and to the main hall, where they separated.

Cynder directed to her room, where she took a small pouch with some red and green gems and soon after she returned in the main hall to ask the Guardians where she could find a proper armour. The elders directed the young dragoness to the armoury, which was a couple of minutes of flight from the great temple. Cynder exited the great wooden door and took flight, moving to where the Guardians pointed her.

The armoury was a great building just aside the barracks. There were many soldiers walking in and out from the place, which made it seemed to be rather busy after the assault.

She entered the structure, where she found a long counter with a lot of mole artisans and blacksmiths working on several different pieces of armours and weaponry. Cynder got closer to the first one, who was momentarily free.

"Excuse me sir."She said. Immediately the mole raised his head to watch who called her. He slightly adjusted his glasses, then his face tinted with a bright smile.

"Ah, Miss Cynder. What can I do for you?"He asked.

"The Guardians sent me here to gather a light suit of armour, do you think you can help me?"She asked politely.

"Of course I can help you. Stay here, I'll come back in a minute."Said the mole, before moving behind the counter, where there was a series of wooden shelves and ledges, containing many spare pieces of armours. Meanwhile Cynder sat on her haunches, gazing wordlessly the stone floor. She tried to recap all that happened in the last day or so, how the beautiful and peaceful life she was finally enjoying plummeted again into chaos and strife, just from a day to another.

Her thoughts went to Spyro once again, as grief began to grip her chest like last night. Luckily the mole attendant returned soon after, breaking her sorrow from growing any bigger. The furry mammal posed a leather bag onto the counter.

"Here it is miss Cynder, a strong and light armour."Stated the mole.

The dragoness peeked inside the sack, studying the armour. It was a solid but lightweight set, complete with chest and shoulder pads, in addition to all the standard components. It obliviously wasn't enchanted like the ones she and Spyro found during their journey and lost after the recomposition of the planet. Still it seemed more than sufficient to protect her. She finally closed the bag, with the leather lace and addressed the mole.

"Thank you very much, sir. Have a nice day."She replied, strapping the bag on her flank and moving for the door.

"You too, Miss."Said the attendant before she exited the building.

Cynder took again the sky, directing back to the Temple, as she wanted to rest a bit before leaving. Once she was over the courtyard, she glimpsed three familiar figures approaching the staircase. She dived quickly and landed beside them.

"Guys, what are you doing here?"She asked. The three youngsters yelped for the fright, but quickly relaxed at the sight of Cynder.

"We came here for you as soon as we heard the news about Spyro.I still can't believe it."Said Auros gently.

Her expression darkened a bit a those words, but she quickly tried to shove away the sadness.

"Thanks guys, but there's no need to worry about me. What about you Auros, is your wound ok?"She asked, genuinely worried. The white dragon nodded, lifting his left wing in order to show the flank. Luckily the slash wasn't very deep, so it took only few gems and a good night of rest to seal the wound. Still, a long and jagged scar remained on his scales.

"Sorry if I ask, Cynder, but what do you have inside that bag?"Asked suddenly Nix.

Cynder watched her three friends, before sighing, almost in defeat.

"It's a suit of armour. I'm departing with the Guardians for the Burned Lands. We're going to rescue Spyro."She said.

"You found out where he is?"Asked astounded Gaia.

"Well, it's more of a supposition. Let's say there's a high probability to find him there."Admitted Cynder.

"But it's the only track that we have right now."She finally sighed again.

The three youngsters watched each other silently. In their eyes a firm determination, as they probably all thought the same thing.

"I want to come with you."Said the white dragon.

"Me too!"Also said Gaia and Nix in unison.

Cynder didn't know what to say. One side of her, wanted them to be present, as it would mean to have more help in their mission and also have friends to sustain her. The other side knew that it will be very dangerous and she didn't want to put their life at stakes.

"Guys, I…I don't know if-"She was interrupted by Auros.

"Spyro is our friend and now he needs us. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't come to help when he need the most."Said the white dragon, with his eyes glistening in the sunlight.

"Yea, please let us come."Pleaded Gaia. Cynder didn't know what to say, but she felt comforted in knowing that she could have friends to rely during the journey.

"Guys, I'm not in charge of the mission, you need to ask to the Guardians. If you want, we can go to see them now."Said the black dragoness. Her three friends nodded excitedly, before following her to the staircase.

They arrived in the main hall, where Terrador and Cyril were discussing. The three youngsters pleaded the elders to let them come with the rescue party. At first they were firmly contrary, but in the end, also after Cynder vouched for them, they consented, at the sole condition that they should have sticked constantly with the Guardians. They excitedly thanked the elders and moved towards the armoury to gather their own suits of armours. As soon as they got ready, the trio returned to the Temple. Auros picked up also a small pouch containing a painkiller herb given him by Aramis under advice of Volteer. He strapped the sack onto his right foreleg and returned in the main hall, where the others where waiting for him. Once everyone seemed to be ready, the group saluted Volteer and took flight toward the eastern wall, joining Baldur and his five soldiers. They landed on the bastion all together. Terrador turned to face the squad in its integrity.

"All right team, the journey we're about to face is to be considered very dangerous. We'll delve into enemy territory, without knowing what to find. Still our motivations are strong and I want to thank you all for deciding to participate."Said the earth guardian.

"We will flight until sundown, then set up a camp for the night."Added the ice guardian. The whole squadron nodded in agreement and short after took the air, following the lead of Guardians.

The sun was far up in the sky, as it was almost midday when they departed. Cynder glanced the terrain getting more distant , as they ascended over the clouds. The group decided to fly in V-formation, since it would be more easy to travel at greater speeds. She stood just behind the earth Captain, behind her there were Nix and Gaia and, on the opposite side, there was Auros, who was flying silently just behind an electricity soldier. The one who was having the worst time was definitely Hunter, since he was mounted on Cyril's back. He was firmly gripped, almost with his talons, onto the ice guardian's neck. Cynder giggled to herself at the scene, as the firm and stoic cheetah became no more than a scared kitty. The black dragoness turned her head and focused her gaze far away from her companions. She glimpsed in the far distance a series of peaks emerging form the clouds. The group didn't know if they would ever find Spyro in those mountains, but Cynder almost knew they were going in the right direction, she could feel her beloved purple dragon getting closer and closer.

"_Hold on Spyro. We're coming to get you._"She thought with firm determination.

* * *

Spyro let out another muffled wail, even if inside he was screaming with all his lungs, as that cursed dagger penetrated in his flesh and slowly tore it apart. His tormentor had come back another two times since he first woke up, and every time the torture he received was always and painfully the same. His body was marked with three large gashes departing from his flank and ending in his chest. Even if they weren't bleeding, the amount of agony inflicted to the purple dragon was immense, as for him every movement now was painful, even breathing. Many times he hoped to faint, to lose consciousness and to never wake up again, but in those same moments he thought about Cynder and his friends, how much they must have been worried for him and how much he felt lost without them. This was what he drew strength from, trying to endure the agonising pain and wait silently that someone or something came to save him, since he knew that in his condition it was almost impossible to escape. Even if he miraculously managed to free himself from those damned restraints, he would surely lose himself in the labyrinth of caves and eventually captured again from those monsters. In addition he was too weak even to walk, since both the dark crystal in the ceiling and the blade used by his torturer had drained every last bit of energy from his strained body. Every time his tormentor used the gems to stop the bleeding he tried to absorb as much energy as he could, but it wasn't never enough for him to properly cure any wound on his body. Eventually he resigned himself to wait, immersed in the obscurity of the cave he was prisoner. Spyro closed his eyes, trying to divert his focus from the pain he was enduring from what seemed like days to him, even if he had completely lost the sense of time during his imprisonment. He tried to think once again to the good moments he spent with Cynder, during the last month or so, after their dire battle with the Dark Master and how much he missed her in that moment. He hoped with his all heart that at least she was safe and sound, it was the only thing that mattered to him. A sense of warmth filled his wounded chest, and eventually a small tear fell down from his cheek and onto the blood stained cave floor.

After an indefinite amount of time, the same grublin returned and, with the same method, he drew the crystal dagger from the sheath, he got closer to the terrified purple dragon and again, stabbed the poor youngster with the blade. This time, with the indescribable pain, Spyro felt another strong sensation flowing through his broken body. It was oddly and fearfully familiar, like a cold rush of anger and hate. Around him, small tendrils of obscure purple energy began to expand and envelope his form. The figure before him retracted the blade from his chest and began to step backward, smiling creepily. The young hero used all his remaining strengths to fight the darkness swirling in his body, but he felt himself slowly and inexorably losing grip on his body. Meanwhile the blood from the open wound poured on his chest and down to the floor. Luck wanted that the sudden lost of so much of that precious lifeblood was enough to make faint the purple dragon and so avert the unchaining of the dark beast that dwelled in his heart. Eventually Spyro let out a last muffled cry and passed out, as the tendrils of obscurity around him instantly dissipated in the humidity of the cave.

The grublin frowned in what seemed to be disappointment and, after storing the dagger in its sheath, extracted a red gem from a pouch and partially cured the bleeding wound. Then he disappeared in the darkness of the cave once again.

The creature walked quickly across the labyrinth of caves and tunnels, only to arrive after an indefinite amount of time into a bigger cave with a dome-like ceiling. It moved towards the centre of the place, where stood an enormous dark crystal, which expanded for the entire height of the grotto and sprawling partially on the floor. It seemed to be the supporting column of the whole cave, as it was firmly embedded in the stone beneath and above its shape. That abomination born from Malefor's evilness radiated a powerful dark aura, illuminating of an intense purple light, all the underground room. The grublin moved carefully around the crystal, almost with fear, then disappeared into a side tunnel, its form completely engulfed by obscurity.

**Thank you again you for reading, I hope to see you again next week.**


	15. Chapter 15 - Echoes of Darkness - Part 2

**Hi, new chapter here, this time a bit longer than usual. As always I hope you will enjoy it. Let me know via PM or in the reviews. **

**-Azotac**

* * *

The rescue party travelled all day long, until the sun began its slow descent behind the western horizon. At dusk they decided to find a good spot to set up a camp for the night. The mountain range had got significantly closer after the first day of their journey, but still needed few hours of flight to be reached. The group slowly began its descent towards the woods that lined the border with the Burned Lands. They glided silently over the vegetation, their eyes focused on the terrain below, eager to find a clearing or a repaired spot to rest for the night.

"Master Terrador!"Called a wind soldier after some time. All heads jerked towards his direction, as he pointed his gaze towards a clearing in the distance. The earth guardian nodded and dived quickly towards the spot, with the others following him suit. Upon getting closer to the point indicated, the group noticed the presence of strange stone structures jagging out of the earth. The squad circled over the place for few minutes inspecting closely the clearing, trying to notice if there was any sign of enemy presence, which the luckily didn't detect. Eventually they landed slowly on the soft grass one by one. Cynder landed with her friends and Sparx, while Hunter flung himself down from Cyril's back as soon as the guardian touched the ground. She giggled to herself at the scene, before beginning to study the environment that surrounded her. The clearing was completely enveloped by a thick and lush vegetation that seemed to be almost impenetrable. She turned her gaze to the centre of the clearing. The last golden rays of the sundown illuminated dimly the whole place, infringing on the stone pillars and so casting long shadows that stretched towards the dark woods. Cynder moved closer to the structures, parting momentarily from her group of friends. She arrived at the base of the first one, which elevated in height for few meters. She inspected it closely, before posing her paw on the moss that covered the first meter of the column. She scraped away some of the first layer, revealing the clear marble underneath.

"Something's wrong young dragoness?"Asked suddenly a voice. Cynder jolted out of her trance and turned to face who called her, founding Cyril watching her apprehensively. She returned her gaze to the stone in front of her and finally sighed.

"I don't know…This things… They seem familiar. It's like I've seen them somewhere else."She said, turning to inspect the other columns.

"You're not the only one…"Answered Cyril, moving closer to where she was. He posed his paw over the marble of another structure. The black dragoness watched him curiously, as the guardian closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. Soon after a feeble bluish light was emitted from the column in front of them. She watched astound the elder as few draconic runes began to flash briefly on the stone beneath his foot. Eventually Cyril removed the paw and the light instantly dissipated, his face tinging with a sad frown. Cynder watched him with a mixture astonishment and curiosity and before she could ask anything, the Guardian turned to face her.

"I'm afraid that these ruins come from the old temple."Stated Cyril. The dragoness pondered in disbelief the words she just heard. She knew that the Temple of the swamp got destroyed during the final battle with Malefor, but she never expected to find ruins so far from the great volcano where it hovered on. Her mind was flooded with memories of those days of pure strife and agony, as well at that night of three years before when she decided to leave the relative safety of the Temple to find her own way into that broken world. She had never thought that decision was what led her to where she was now. In search to the dragon she loved with all herself. She felt her sorrow growing bigger with every moment that passed, when a strong paw posed on her shoulder.

"C'mon young dragoness, this is not the moment to dwell in the past. Let's help the others."Said Cyril, with a firm yet gentle and calm tone. Cynder recollected herself before nodding and falling in steps with the ice guardian. The duo reached the rest of the squad that, in the meanwhile, had already begun to set up the camp for the night. A couple of soldiers had departed with Hunter to hunt down something to eat for dinner and another one was rummaging around the trees in search of some good firewood, while her friends were piling together some big leaves near the stone columns in order to make some rudimental but soft beds for all the team. Cynder watched the ice guardian moving towards Terrador and the earth captain, which were carefully studying a scroll fixed on the terrain with some rocks.

"Cynder?"Called suddenly a voice. The black dragoness turned around only to find Auros watching her with a quizzical look. She gazed back at him, studying her white friend. Even after the month they spent together, she couldn't still figure out completely that dragon. He always seemed to be so calm, so gentle. She never saw him angry, in any type of situation. Most of all, he never shown any kind of animosity towards her, after all she had personally done to him. At the contrary, he wanted to be her friend from the first moment they met. She never thought that she could find someone that could forgive for her past actions so quickly, her beloved Spyro aside.

"It's all ok? You seem a bit…disoriented…"He continued, moving closer to her. She flashed out from her trance, watching again the white dragon, which now bore a kind smile on his muzzle.

"Yeah, I'm just… A bit tired. That's all."She answered.

"Well, can I ask you if you can give us a paw in setting up the last things? Sparx said you're doing nothing and he's doing all the work."Said the youngster, with a playful smile.

"Oh, we'll see how much he will do without his wings attached to his body."Answered the dragoness with a mischievous grin on her muzzle, before moving towards the others. Auros giggled to himself and followed her suit. When night came down, the camp was ready and the fire was lit in the middle of the stone pillars. The hunting team managed to hunt down a big boar, which proved to be enough to feed all the presents. A couple of soldiers offered to do the night watch while the others rested near the fire. The youngsters were laid one near each other, comforted by the soft warmth of the fire. Gaia was sleeping soundly, with Nix on her side. Cynder was curled on herself, with Sparx posed on her left wing. The only one who was having some difficulties to sleep was Auros, which laid on his back with his snout pointed towards the sky above him. His white body was dimly illuminated by the moons that were nothing more but two distant sickles in that obscure dome that covered his gaze. He always loved losing himself in the stars, because even in the darkest moments of his life, he always found a sort of comfort in those distant lights. He knew that his parents and his brother were somewhere in that sky, watching over him and illuminating his path through the life. A silent tear descended trough his cheek, as he briefly closed his eyes trying to wipe away the sorrow. He was so focused on the stars and on his thoughts that he didn't notice that Nix had awoken. She observed that Auros was awake too and she raised her head. She wanted to talk to him, but she wasn't really sure if he wanted to. In the end the dragoness collected her courage and called his name.

"Auros?"She whispered. The white dragon turned his gaze at her, meeting her beautiful silver eyes. Upon noticing the glistening reflections of the tears on his cheeks, she smiled fondly at him.

"It's all ok?"She asked gently.

"Yeah… Just a bit of sadness in addition to the constant worry for Spyro. Nothing too serious…"He answered, trying to force a weak smile.

The dragoness hesitated for a moment. She looked around to make sure that nobody would notice her movements. Finally she began crawling towards him and rested her head on his chest, leaning her body to his right side.

"Better like this?"She asked. Auros flushed red for the mild embarrassment, but in the end he enveloped the dragoness with his white wing, holding her smaller but strong body near to him. Nix snuggled carefully under his wing, trying to find a comfortable position. She leaned her forearm across his chest an to his left flank, when she felt a sort of depression in his scales, where the grublin had injured him the day before. She cringed a bit at he remembering of that moment, but she quickly shoved it away. The dragoness raised her head to his neck, to talk to him.

"I…Realised that I didn't thank you for saving me yesterday. So thank you."She whispered with a guilty tone.

"I would have done it one thousand times for you."He answered smiling. The dragoness at the hearing of those words smiled fondly at him, before licking swiftly his cheek and finally leaning her head back onto his chest.

"By the way…"She whispered again after few minutes.

"I'm sure we're going to find him."She reassured him. He posed his right forepaw on her neck, caressing it gently, before answering her.

"I sure hope so…"

Soon after both dragons fell asleep, comforted by the warmth of each other embrace, under the beautiful starry sky.

"…."

"…_ros_…"

"_..Auros…_"

"Auros! Wake up!"Screamed a voice. The white dragon opened abruptly his eyes and jolted up on his paws, only to find a terrified azure dragoness in front of him. He was about to ask what was happening when a booming voice broke the apparent silence.  
"Young ones, gather here immediately!"Ordered Terrador. Without discussion the youngsters reached the centre of the camp where all the others were grouped, forming a circle. Both Nix and Auros joined the formation and adopted a defensive position. The white dragon was clearly confused since he didn't understand the motive of such a sudden rush. Terrador noticed the disorientation in his eyes.

"A guard spotted an enemy in the wood, there could be many others around us in this exact moment."Said grimly the earth guardian. The white dragon nodded in acknowledgment, before preparing himself mentally to another battle. There was an eerie silence for few minutes, as the dragons stood fixed on their position, trying to grasp any kind of movement in the vegetation before them. All of sudden, a rustle came from the bushes in front of Auros, all the others turned to watch, as a pair of green, malevolent eyes began to appear in the darkness.

"Dareon, Auros. I need you to light up a bit this place."Ordered Terrador. Immediately the fire soldier use his fire breath to set on fire a portion of grass few meters in front of him, Auros did the same soon after. As soon as the fire began to burn, an eerie hiss came from the forest and other pairs of spectral eyes began to appear. A chill ran down Cynder's spine as she instantly recognised those hisses and those cursed eyes. She turned her gaze to the Guardians, which bore her same worried frown.

"What in the name of the Ancient Spirits are those things?"Asked Gaia to Cynder, whispering.

"Shadows."She answered snarling."They once where the apes that fought for Malefor, before being cursed for the eternity."She continued.

Auros remained dumbstruck at the hearing of those words. He couldn't ever imagine that the same monsters that attacked his village so many years before, were still walking on this earth, even in that corrupted and obscure form. Images of that night filled again his mind, before a delicate paw posed on his shoulder. He turned to see Nix watching him with a firm determination in her face. In an instant, he felt all his preoccupations fade away, as he gazed her beautiful silver eyes. The fear suddenly was replaced with a strong will of protecting his friends from those horrible creatures, which meanwhile had kept emerging from the shadows of the night.

"Sheesh, why do these things always come back to kill us?"Said Sparx.

"Stay close, don't let them split us!"Boomed Terrador. The group of dragons compacted itself around the now spent fire pit, ready to engage the enemies. A series of growls began to elevate from the squadron while the shadows kept getting closer and closer.

Cynder had her eyes fixed on the creatures before her, all her muscles were tensed, ready to attack and kill. Eventually a shadow raised its bony limb, ready to strike the black dragoness, but she reacted in an instant, spitting a globule of green venom that melted away the enemy in front of her. A low, agonised hiss was emitted by the shadow, while the substance corroded its form. The other dragons caught the bait and began to unleash a series of elemental attacks towards the enemies before them. Auros let loose a torrent of fire that lightened up all the fighting zone, making some shadows run away with the fire eating their bones. The fight kept on going for several minutes, but the more enemies they killed, the more came out from the forest, in what seemed to be a never-ending wave. The group of dragons managed at least to hold the formation, without letting any shadow get too much near them. After more and more minutes and countless enemy killed, the dragons were beginning to tire, as their magical energy also began to get low.

"Everyone, brace yourselves!"Shouted suddenly Terrador, before smashing his forepaws to the ground. A massive shockwave formed in the instant of the contact with the soil, as pillars of stone began to erupt from the terrain and create a sort of circular barrier around the dragons. The squadron remained dumbstruck for few seconds, before the booming voice of the earth guardian returned to echo in the battle.

"C'mon grab your things, we must flee!"Ordered Terrador. Immediately all those presents gathered their respective belongings and took flight soon after, protected by the barrier. All the squad hovered distantly from the ground while the shadows climbed the stone wall.

"Terrador, we're all accounted for. Let's go!"Shouted Cyril, turning north-eastward in direction of the mountains. The group followed him suit, leaving behind the now distant noise of those monstrosities. Hunter was mounted on the back of the earth captain, while Sparx was flying silently at Cynder's side.

The two Guardians were flying near each other, when after several minutes of silence Terrador turned to face Cyril, who bore a deep frown on his features, just like him.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"Asked suddenly the earth guardian.

"How in the name of the Ancestors are those…Things still alive?"Answered Cyril, with a gloomy voice. There was again silence between the two elders, as they both tried to find a proper answer to that daunting question.

"That shouldn't be possible, those creatures were extremely bound to Malefor's power. Now that he's gone, they should have disappeared too."Replied the earth guardian.

"Unless…"Whispered Cyril, bowing sadly his head. Terrador watched him with great concern, before turning his gaze onward once again. In his mind he tried to find any kind of explanation to the presence of those monsters. Maybe they survived by absorbing the residual magic left in the Temple ruins, or maybe the soil was still so impregnated with Malefor's power that they managed to endure for the last month or so. Whatever was the explanation, this fact still raised a great problem for the safety of the dragons.

The group flew for almost an hour, before glimpsing in the darkness a stony promontory which silhouetted on the nigh sky, dimly illuminated by the moons. The tired squad inspected the zone carefully and finally landed on the rocky surface and quickly settled up to rest for the few hours that remained before dawn. Cynder curled up on herself, near her friends which were already sleeping soundly. Gaia was, as usual, laid on her side, with her paws hanging in the air, while Auros and Nix were sleeping together, with him covering her with his wings. She smiled fondly at them, but with the happiness that she felt for those two she couldn't help but remember how she missed her Spyro. How she missed seeing his smile every morning and his warmth during the nights spent together. She grasped once again the neckband he gifted her, as tears suddenly began to flow from her eyes. Sparx, which was on her wing, suddenly woke up from the sobbing of the black dragoness. He rose in the air, with a slightly irritated face, but when he saw in which state was the youngster before him, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. He gently got closer to her, posing his little hand on her muzzle.

"I miss him…"She finally sighed, after calming down a bit.

"I miss him too. But hear this, I'm sure we're gonna find him. No matter what goes against us."He said, with a calm but determinate tone. She didn't raise her head, but he could feel that she had definitely calmed down.

"Thanks Sparx. I never thought I could say that…"She answered almost giggling.

"Hey, her's a first time for everything, right?"He replied.

"Anyway we should get to rest, I sense that tomorrow's gonna be a loooong day."He added.

"Yeah, good night."She finally said, resting her head on her forearms.

"You too." And they both drifted into sleep.

Morning came as soon as they closed their eyes. A cold wind, mitigated only by the warm sun rays, was rushing trough the air, making rustle the leaves of the trees and creating a strong but calming noise. Cynder yawned briefly before standing up on her paws and beginning to stretch her tensed muscles. Around her the other team members were already dismantling the camp in order to not leave any other traces of their presence. She saw Terrador and Cyril studying the same scroll as the night before, near them there was Baldur giving order to his soldiers. She turned northward, trying to glimpse the mountains, which were covered with a thick layer of clouds. She stood in that position for several minutes, until Terrador's booming voice broke the lingering silence.

"Team, gather your things and get your armours on. We're departing soon."He said. All those present nodded in agreement and began to speed up the their tasks. Cynder moved to where she was resting before and opened up the leather bag containing her armour. She began to pull out the various pieces and to strap them on. After finishing to dress up, she flexed her forearm a bit, trying to test the mobility of the set. The iron was extraordinarily light, which was a feature that was fundamental to the black dragoness, as her combat style was primarily based on agility and dexterity. She eventually closed the bag and strapped it on her flank. She then moved near her friends to help them securing their own armours and after they were all set, they directed together towards the Guardians. The elders scrutinised the youngsters carefully, before addressing the whole team.

"Very well, it seems that we're all ready."Began Terrador.

"We'll need to travel a bit faster in order to reach the mountains in a reasonable time. Last night attack had driven us a bit away from our route."Continued the guardian.

"Anyway"Said Cyril."In the best case scenario we will approach the slopes of the range for the mid afternoon. Once there we will decide what to do." He concluded. The whole team nodded, before taking the sky all together.

During their flight, Cynder noticed a gradual change of the environment beneath her paws. The lush and green vegetation that before adorned the beautiful landscape, now had left place to a rocky and spoil tundra, infested with dead trees and ash. On her left, she could see the burnt border left by the Belt of Fire the month before and beyond that her eyes glimpsed the Burned Lands. The only sight of that place made her guts clench in disgust and fear. In addition an eerie sensation was beginning to manifest in Cynder. Like if something malevolent and evil was observing her. She then gazed at her companions, which also seemed to have the same feeling as her.

Something was not right with that place.

After another hour of flight the mountains finally came into full view. The group spotted a small stony plateau in the distance, which seemed to be clear of any threat. In half an hour they arrived at the place, just a hundred meters or so before the slopes of the mountains .They all land near each other, before the Guardians addressed the team.

"It seems that we have reached our final destination. From there our maps stop." Said Terrador, pointing his gaze towards the mountains.

"The scouts reported that there should be an entrance right under that promontory. Remember the main goal of the mission: retrieve Spyro and leave this place as fast as we could. We don't want to put any of you in more danger than necessary."Concluded the Guardian. Sparx was about to intervene, but Cynder promptly slapped him with one wing.

"Ouch! What was that for?"He asked indignant.

"Nothing, just to keep you on tight."She replied.

"Aehm…If you're all ready, we can proceed."Said Terrador. The whole team nodded than took flight once again directing towards the mountain. They scanned the slopes for several minutes, looking for the entrance mentioned by the scouts. Finally Captain Baldur called for the attention of the Guardians and directed towards what he found. The entrance for the cave seemed to be partially crumbled so it was barely large enough to permit to the young dragons to pass.

"Damn!"Exclaimed Terrador.

"The scouts didn't mention this."He then said, regaining his composure.

"Well, we could go together with Hunter and bring back Spyro."Said Cynder watching her friends, which all promptly nodded.

"Absolutely no! We won't let you go alone in complete enemy territory and-"Tried to argue Cyril, but the black dragoness interrupted him.

"If I remember well, you let Spyro face me, the Terror of the Sky, when he was just twelve. I think that was just a bit more dangerous than what we're going to do here."She replied, with a tinge of sassiness in her tone. The two guardians remained dumbstruck by her answer, but deep down they knew that she was right. It would have taken them who knows how many hours in order to find another entrance, if it existed at all and unfortunately time was against them. Finally Terrador sighed in defeat.

"Very well. You may go by yourselves, but, please, be extremely careful young ones. We can't afford to lose you too."He said.

"Don't worry, we won't fail."Said confidently Cynder.

"We will wait for you here at the entrance. May the Ancestors look after you."Said solemnly the earth guardian bowing his head. The young dragons nodded before entering one by one in the slender opening in the rock, with Hunter following them suit.

"_May they look after us all…_"

The small group began to travel along the narrow dark passage, only dimly illuminated by Sparx's golden light. Hunter pulled out a unlit torch from a bag on his back and asked to Auros to fire it up. The white dragon puffed a small flame that set on fire the cloth on the top part with exploded in a bright orange flame that greatly illuminated the passage. The stone seemed to be of volcanic origin, since it barely reflected the light. After few minutes of walk, the tunnel began to get wider and taller, permitting to Hunter to stand without the need to crouch. The group kept on going for quite sometime until it reached a fork.

"Oh great, which way now?"Said Sparx irritated.

"Calm my friend, let me see…"Said Hunter moving forward to the grumpy dragonfly. The cheetah observed carefully the two roads, inspecting the rock at the two sides and on the floor. He then leaned the torch to the left one and the flame remained still. He then leaned the fire on the right side and the flame began to move, like if carried by the air. Hunter nodded and then turned to face the youngsters behind him.

"Well, the left one seemed to be more used, since it has several signs and marks on the rock and on the floor, but it is a dead end. The right one has an exit point, since there's air circulation, but it far less used than the left one."He finally stated. The three youngster watched amazed the cheetah.

"And you understood all of this just by looking at the walls? Whoa…"Complimented Gaia.

"Anyway, which way do you think it's the best?"Asked Cynder.

"Hmm… If I had to hold someone captive I would take him somewhere he couldn't escape easily. So the left one, in my opinion, has the best possibilities."Answered Hunter.

"Very well, let's go then."Said the black dragoness, pushing on Sparx to the chosen path. The team walked again for some time until Cynder halted abruptly.

"Why did we stop-"Gaia was interrupted by Cynder, which flung her paw on his mouth.

"Hush."She hissed. They all went suddenly quite, with Hunter turning off the torch. In the distance a indistinct muttering could be heard echoing. Cynder gestured the cheetah, which nodded and followed her promptly, extracting his bow. They approached silently at the source of the noise, only to find two grublin guards coming in their direction. They crouched behind a stone and Cynder dived in the shadows. Once behind their targets she jumped out and pierced with her tail blade the first grublin's back, the other had no time to react that Hunter hit it in the eye with one of his arrows. The two bodies fell limply to the ground emitting a low bump and releasing some spirits gems which Cynder used to replenish a bit of her magical energy.

"You can come."She said to the rest of the group, which emerged from the shadows of the tunnel.

"We must be more careful, there could be more of these ones further on."Whispered Hunter.

"I'm actually impressed that we didn't find any other of them until now. It's kinda weird…"Pointed out Auros.

"Yeah… I have this feeling too."Said Nix.

"Guys, we've got no time to waste. We need to move as fast as possible and rescue Spyro."Hissed Cynder, turning to continue in the exploration. The others shrugged and followed her.

The group kept on walking for what it seemed to be hours for them, since the tunnels all seemed pretty much the same. They rarely found any enemy presence and if they crossed with some grublin guards, they just killed them with ease. Cynder was particularly off putted by that situation. She expected hoards of enemies waiting for them, but instead they seem to be almost alone in those dark caves in addition there was this constant bad feeling that she couldn't shake off her.

They proceeded for another period of time until Sparx broke the silence.

"Ehm… I think we have already been here."Said the dragonfly.

"What do you mean? That's not possible."Replied Cynder, dumbstruck.

"Watch for yourself."He said getting closer to the ground and pointing his finger. The dragoness got closer with her muzzle to the grit that partially covered the terrain. A series of paw prints were clearly visible, as well as some sign of tails dragged to the ground.

"Damn!"Cursed Cynder, slamming angrily her paw to the floor. In her, in addition to all the worry for Spyro, a sense of anger was beginning to rise more and more, knowing that they wasted who knows how much time just walking in circle in those damned caves. She could feel her purple dragon so close, but yet so distant as she couldn't figure out where he was. A swirl of emotions were storming in her: fear, anger, concern and sadness. All of these feelings were coursing trough her body, as she stumbled to maintain her composure in front if her teammates.

All of a sudden she felt a paw posing on her shoulder, as she turned around to face who touched her. She found Auros standing behind her, with great concern etched on his face.

"Cynder, it's all ok?"He asked, clearly worried.

At those words, something in her snapped. With a snarl she jumped over him, catching the youngster completely off guard and locking her paws around his throat, trying to choke him.

"NO! It's not all ok, you useless lizard!" Roared Cynder.

"Spyro may be wounded or worse, we're lost in these damned cave and YOU ask ME if it's all ok?" She continued, squeezing as hard as she could the throat of the now agonising white dragon and raising her tail blade over him. She was about to speak again when Nix rammed her, making her release the youngster and knocking the wind out of her. Auros gasped, trying to catch as much air as he could. The black dragoness tumbled into the grit with her armour deadening the fall. She quickly managed to stand up, but as soon as she gazed once again her friends, all of her anger was completely wiped out by an unbearable sense of shame. In their eyes, even in Hunter's ones, there was fear. Fear of her.

"_What have I done…_"She thought in remorse, recoiling. In a beat of an heart, she tapped in her powers, diving in the shadows and disappearing from their gaze in a swirl of black energy.

"Guys we need to follow her, we can't let her get lost in here!"Stated the white dragon, coughing. It took a moment to the others to react but they eventually nodded and began to run in the direction in where she vanished.

The dragoness reemerged soon after in the darkness of the tunnel and curled on herself, silently weeping.

_"__What is wrong with me? He was just worried for me and for that I tried to choke him in return?_"She thought angrily. She stood in that position for several minutes drowning in her misery, until she heard the noise of various steps coming in her direction an with that, familiar voices, calling for her. She didn't dare to stand up and face them, as at that moment all she wanted was just to be invisible at their eyes. She then felt again a paw gently posing on her forearm armour plate. Cynder finally collected her courage and raised her head. Her eyes met the white dragon's ones, which bore concern and sympathy, instead of anger as she expected. She also cringed upon noticing the bruises that she left on his neck just few minutes before. He offered her his paw, to help her stand up. She didn't dare to watch again in the eyes.

"I'm sorry…I…I din't meant to hurt you…It's just-"She interrupted when he posed again his paw on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you didn't meant to."He said, his voice a bit raspy.

"And I didn't meant to bother you before. But, the next time, talk with us. We're all your friends and we are here to help you if you need."He said smiling. She recollected herself before nodding to the white dragon.

"Thank you…"She said.

"Good. Now let's go find Spyro."Said Auros finally. The whole team nodded and begun to walk again along those dark tunnels in search of the young purple dragon.

They proceeded for quite some time until Sparx noticed something odd in the distance.

"Guys, it's just me or there's light coming from there?"He said quizzically. Hunter squinted his azure eyes, before answering back to the dragonfly.

"You're not wrong my friend, but it doesn't seem sunlight."Stated the cheetah. The others watched him quizzically, before proceeding into the tunnel towards that distant light. They arrived at the end of the passage, Cynder stood at the front with Sparx and Hunter and as soon they saw what was before their eyes, their mouths fell open.

In front of them there was an huge underground cave, which spanned tens and tens of meters both in height and width. At the bottom of the cave they could see what seemed to be a small underground lava lake, which was in the middle of a series of grublin nests embedded in the stony walls of the cave. Also a great number of grublins could be seen moving around the molten rock, going in and out from the holes in the walls. The black dragoness noticed that they were on a some sort of balcony which interposed between two rudimental staircases made of compacted earth and rocks. The steps seemed to lead to another series of tunnels in the upper part of the cave.

"Guys what's that?"Asked suddenly Nix, pointing her left wing to the ceiling, fear clearly audible in her words. As soon as Cynder posed her eyes on the roof, a surge of terror ran down her spine, making her lightly shiver.

It was a dark crystal, the biggest that she had ever seen in her life. That abomination spread its creepy light all over the cave contrasting the orange one emitted by the lava, as swirls of obscure energy flowed in and out of its shape. She was about to answer when Hunter grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged back with the others in the darkness of the tunnel. Soon after a small grublin passed in front of the opening. It halted momentarily, gazing around and sniffing the air. It scratched itself with the handle of the weird dagger it was holding, before finally proceeding along the staircase. When they were sure it had moved away, the team left again the tunnel.

"Phew that was a close one."Objected Sparx, watching Cynder. She snorted at the dragonfly and got closer to Hunter, who was inspecting the ground where the grublin had just passed on. He picked up something with his talons and turned to face the dragoness at his side, in his eyes a mixture of disbelief and preoccupation. He handled what he found to Cynder, when she focused on the fragment he was holding, she felt her heart crumble. It was a purple scale, encrusted in a dark maroon substance that seemed to be dried blood. She felt all of her worry suddenly explode in her, but before she could do anything, the cheetah grasped her firmly with his strong paws.

"We must follow that one, I think we are really close to him."Said Hunter. The black dragoness recollected herself, as her friend's word reignited hope in her. She nodded, than all the team silently began to climb he staircase, following the creature that, meanwhile, had almost reached the upper tunnels. They made a great effort in order to follow that grublin along the tunnels and at the same time avoiding of being spotted by this one, but in the end they managed to stay always on its track and eventually they reached the small cave where the grublin had stopped. They entered the place, with Hunter silently drawing out his bow. The cave was dimly lit by a dark crystal fixed on the ceiling. Cynder was about to destroy it when her attention was drawn by a too familiar purple figure hanged on the opposite wall. Her eyes went wide as saucers as she suddenly gasped.

"Spyro!"

* * *

**Thank you for reading, I hope to see you next time!**


	16. Chapter 16 - Echoes of Darkness - Part 3

**Hi everyone. Sorry for posting this chapter so late, but this has been a rather busy week. Anyway this will also be the last chapter of the current schedule, since the next week I'm beginning university. Of course I'll keep updating the story, but do not expect a new chapter every Sunday. I'll be posting updates on my profile page and on the story info, if you're interested. Thank you for coming this far, have a good read.**

**-Azotac**

_He was walking slowly along a dark path. He didn't remember how he even got there as his mind was, once again, completely and utterly blank. He couldn't focus on anything if not on the lingering silence and obscurity that enveloped him. _

_He kept on walking._

_Suddenly he saw, in the distance, a light. A spark of hope ignited in his chest as he began to run towards it. He ran and ran, as fast as his legs could carry him, but the more he tried to reach the bright escape, the more it seemed to get far away, like if he was running backwards. He despaired as the salvation disappeared from his now watery eyes._

_"__NO!"He shouted, forcing his limbs to go faster, but it was useless. The distant light suddenly spent and he was left again in the darkness. _

_He then fell. _

_His body was twisting on itself as he dived uncontrollably into the black void. He tried to open his wings, in attempt to slow his fall, but they seemed stuck or rather it was like they weren't there at all. Panic took control of him as he tried desperately to move, but in the end he braced himself for his fate._

_All of a sudden, he wasn't falling anymore. He instead stood still, sat on a cold surface with the entrance of a cave in front of him. A strong, violet light, pierced his gaze as he forced his sight away from it. Soon after he moved, not by his own will, towards the entrance as the creepy purple brightness engulfed his form. As soon as he focused on what was before him, a terrible surge of fear coursed through his body making him shiver in dread and his guts clench in disgust. An enormous dark crystal stood before him, which extended by the full height of the cave. At his base there were laid four torn corpses, with streaks of crimson of blood surrounding them. The purple dragon felt his guts clench even harder at that sight. He wanted to run away from that place, but his legs weren't obeying him, as they dragged him closer to those carcasses. His eyes posed on the first one, his heart instantly crushed. Gaia's body stood in a utterly abnormal position, as if all her joints had been dislodged. Her eyes were closed, a puddle of blood formed under her head and mouth. Spyro hadn't time to react that his limbs carried him further on, to a couple of corpses laid near her. A white dragon stood over an azure dragoness, like protecting her with his body. His back and neck were torn from wide and deep gashes, his wing membranes completely destroyed as only small fragments were still attached to the skeletal form of his broken limbs. Under Auros's corpse, Nix stood with her spent eyes wide open, a single large gash across her throat. The young hero cried out loudly, as fear and despair were taking control of him. _

_"__Please no! Make it stop!"He screamed._

_His legs brought him, eventually, to the last body. _

_The black dragoness was covered in bruises and scratches, but it took Spyro a moment to see that her chest was completely crushed. From her mouth, a single line of blood dripped, shedding the liquid on the stony floor. _

_"__NO! N-"Cried Spyro, before a surge of pain took away his breath. He gazed back at himself and noticed in shock that a deep wound had suddenly appeared on his right shoulder. Agony diffused in his body, as he cried in pain. Around him all went dark, as a pair of creepy yellow eyes flashed before him._

He opened abruptly his eyes, as he tried to scream with all his lungs, only to find his muzzle restricted by the rope. He never felt his heart beat so fast, it seemed that from a moment to another it would jump out of his chest. His temples pulsed painfully at the same rhythm. His breath was also quick and fatigued. He turned his head to his right shoulder, only to find the same wound, partially sealed like all the others. He dropped his head in exhaustion, as his heartbeat slowly died down into his normal rhythm. His mind, however, didn't slow down. He tried to shove away everything, but images of that nightmare came back infesting his sight. He then focused on those yellow eyes he saw a moment before waking up. His form unconsciously shivered only at their thought. In him a oddly sensation of familiarity was growing, like if he had already seen them somewhere. He eventually detached from that thoughts, as his broken body burned in pain.

Spyro stood awake for another indefinite amount of time, not daring to close eye. Suddenly his tormenter made its return once again. The grublin unsheathed the dagger and prepared to stab the youngster. The purple dragon closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and braced for the hit, which oddly never came. Instead he heard an high pitched hiss, then a low sound coming from beneath him, with it, also the noise of something glass-like shattering. He finally heard something that he would never expected to hear. Someone calling for his name. However he wasn't sure if he was just a trick of his failing senses. He eventually felt himself slipping away once again, as he dropped his head down.

"Spyro!"Said Cynder running towards him, with Sparx on her tail. The dragonfly flung himself onto the purple dragon's muzzle, hugging it as tightly as he could.

"I can't believe we found you. You made me worry sick, you purple lump!"He said, with watery eyes. However, the purple dragon didn't answer.

"Spyro?"Said Sparx, moving away from his brother. His golden light illuminated dimly his body, as soon as he saw his state, his little guts squirmed in disgust. Hunter came soon after, with his now lit torch, driving away the darkness of the cave. He got closer to the black dragoness and the dragonfly before him. Cynder focused her sight on Spyro and gasped in viewing what she was in front of, horror gripping her at her very core. In an heartbeat, she began breaking the metal restraints which held him. Spyro's body fell limp under its weight, Hunter caught it before it could touch the ground. The dragoness flung herself by his side, holding the purple dragon head in her paws. She cut away the rope blocking his maw, she grasped his neck in search of his heartbeat and after some long and extremely painful seconds she felt it. A feeble and weak pulse coursed through his body, as his wounded chest slowly raised. She exhaled heavily in joy, tears coming down from her emerald eyes.

"He's alive!"She said, commotion clearly audible in her voice. The other dragons got closer to him, while Hunter used the torch to illuminate better Spyro's body, however at the sight of what was before them, their hearts completely shattered. Several gashes were marking his chest, in addition to the multiple stab wounds and cuts scattered on his body, the more serious being the newest one on his right shoulder. His muzzle was severely worn out by the rope, as well as his ankles, wrists and tail, since those metal restraints were so tight that they almost blocked the blood circulation. He seemed also to have lost a lot of weight probably due to being left completely without food for days. She posed her forehead over his, tears falling on his muzzle.

"_What have they done to you…_"She whispered. Suddenly Auros moved by the purple dragon with a little bag in his mouth. He posed it near him, and opened the lid. Instantly several crimson gems floated out of the container and flung to Spyro's body, dissipating instantly at the contact. Some wounds began to seal, but his general condition remained still dire as before. Cynder after few moments did the same with her red gems and soon also the other two dragonesses used their crystals to heal their friend. His pulse was getting stronger, his breath more stable. The black dragoness gently caressed him, under the concerned eyes of their friends.

"C…Cy-_Cynder…_"Spyro whispered. She gazed stunned at him, while his eyelids began to flicker, like he was beginning to wake up.

"Spyro! Yes, it's me!"She answered, in joy. She held him strongly, as he managed to lift his forepaw and pose it over hers.

"_I… I missed you…_He said, barely moving at all.

"Me too, we too"She replied, holding firmly his paw, while keeping caressing him on the forehead.

There was a sudden silence in the cave, as they all watched concerned the purple dragon, which was breathing slowly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to get him out as soon as possible and give him the cures he needs. We don't have much time."Said Hunter, posing his paw on Cynder's shoulder.

"If you want, I can carry him."Offered Auros. The others watched each other silently, before nodding to the white dragon. Cynder knew in fact he was probably the best choice. She would have loved to carry her Spyro to safety, but she was also the most skilled fighter in the group and she couldn't let herself being hindered by an overweight. She hated herself for thinking about Spyro as a burden, but in that case it was the bitter truth. Finally Auros lowered to ground level while Cynder and Hunter posed the young hero on his back. They placed the purple dragon in between his wings and knotted with a string the violet youngster forearms to Auros's neck. Auros stood up, flinching a bit for the sudden strain, then exhaled heavily and began to walk towards the entrance of the cave.

"You're sure you can handle this?"Asked Cynder.

"Yes, I have to. Now let's go."He reassured, smiling. The rest of the group nodded and began to walk along the tunnels.

After some time they managed to return to the great cave they beheld before, however they noticed that something was not right. The grublins that they saw lurking around the lava and in the stony walls had suddenly disappeared. The cave was silent, as only the noise of the seething molten rock and the low hiss of the dark crystal echoed in the emptiness.

"That's strange…"Murmured Cynder.

"Why bother, less problem for us. Am I right?"Replied Sparx.

"She's right. There's something wrong, but now let's focus on getting our young friend out of here."Added Hunter, before keeping on going down the stairs.

The others followed him suit soon after. Cynder walked beside Auros, always keeping an eye on Spyro, which laid silently on his back. She wasn't sure if he was sleeping or if he had lost his senses. In any case it was better than keep him awake, as he would only suffer more because of his injuries.

"_I hope that Terrador and Cyril are fine, at least._"She thought, exhaling heavily.

* * *

The late afternoon sun was barely visible trough the sky and a cold wind coursed trough the air, carrying black clouds and moving the dead and dry grass of the tundra.

The two guardians and the soldiers were waiting in front of the opening in the mountain wall in which the youngsters had disappeared. They had set up a small camp defended with a series of makeshift barricades erected with Terrador's earth power. A couple of guards were sent in the exploration in order to find some red gems, just in case any of the young dragons needed it, even if they hoped not. Another soldier instead was sent to scout the surrounding area.

The environment around them wasn't particularly friendly, as the low and dry grass of the tundra permitted to have a great view of their surroundings, but also forbid any kind of natural shielding from the impervious weather that was coming towards them.

Terrador, Cyril and Baldur were carefully studying the map in order to prepare a safe route towards Warfang.

"I hope our young ones are fine. They've been inside for quite sometime now."Said Cyril worriedly, turning his gaze towards the entrance of the tunnels.

"It was a bad idea let them go all alone. We could have figure out something else-"Added the ice guardian, which was, however, interrupted by his earth colleague.

"They're all strong and clever young dragons, you saw them in training. Plus there are both Cynder and Hunter, which have great experience and skills in fight. I'm sure they'll come back soon with our Spyro."Reassured Terrador, while Baldur remained silent.

"Yeah…"Murmured Cyril.

They continued with their work and after several minutes of discussion they eventually came out with two suitable routes. The first one was much longer but safer, because it directed towards the Great Dam and went along the seaside, approaching the capital from south-east. It would be also easier to rest since the risk of an ambush would be reduced to zero. However it would require them at best two full days of flight. The other one took half of the time but it passed directly over the heart of the Burned Lands. It was definitely more risky but if the necessity required it, they would have to take that path. The main variable in their planning was Spyro. The elders hoped with all their hearts that the poor youngster would come out unharmed by this whole situation, but they also knew that it was highly improbable. Soon after the ending of their discussion, the two soldiers sent to look for some red gems returned with a bag full of crimson shards. They posed it near the Guardians and left bowing their heads.

Suddenly someone broke the apparent calm of the camp.

"Master Guardians!Captain!"Shouted a voice. The three dragons raised their head at the calling and saw a wind soldier coming quickly in their direction. They stood up promptly, while the guard arrived in front of them. His greyish scales were covered in dirt and his armour was battered in several parts, with some arrows implanted in the metal.

"Private Lance, what happened?"Asked the earth captain, worriedly.

"Grublins, sir. They're coming in great number towards our location."Reported grimly the soldier. The guardians instantly frowned at the news.

"Baldur, gather your soldiers and prepare for the battle. Cyril and I will reinforce the barricades."Ordered Terrador. The captain nodded, then moved towards his other soldiers, followed closely by the wind guard. The earth guardian walked toward the makeshift walls of rock that jutted out of the earth forming a sort of semi-circle around the entrance of the cave. Cyril used his ice power to conjure a series of ice shard on the stone, making the barricades a deadly measure of defence. Soon after, the soldiers returned fully armoured and ready for the incoming battle. The guardians then wore their suits of armours and placed themselves aside their soldiers. Their gaze fixed on what was before them. The wind hadn't ceased down since their arrival, its coldness making lightly shiver the soldiers. In the air the distinct smell of the filthy enemy approaching. Few sun rays filtered trough the dense black clouds, creating a surreal, yet beautiful landscape in front of the elder dragons. The team admired the stunning view with a glint of sadness. They just hoped it wouldn't be their last one.

Soon after the earth began to slightly rumble, as the first holes in the terrain began to appear outside the barricades. Terrador created the defences in order to deny the underground passage of the enemies, since he had hardened the earth beneath the walls.

A loud shriek elevated in the air, followed by a shower of elemental attacks to any kind of enemy that passed around the barriers. The dragons fought side to side, tail to tail against that foe, using all they had to counteract them. They managed to held back the grublins for several time, standing still in their position and wiping out every trespasser. However they were forced to low their rhythm as they were beginning to tire and the spirit gems released by the enemies weren't enough to replenish there magic reservoir. The foes caught the occasion and managed to split their ranks, separating the small squad into two groups. Surrounded by all sides, Cyril unleashed a whirlwind of ice, which stroke directly a big group of enemies, freezing them in place. He then coated his tail in ice, creating a light but deadly frozen blade with which he severed many grublins, their dark blood staining the earth beneath. Terrador did the same with his tail mace, smashing and crushing all the enemies it encountered, alternating with powerful earth shots and devastating earth missiles. Then, in a surge of anger, he prepared to unleash his final attack.

"Brace yourselves!"He roared, before enveloping his body in green energy. A spine-chilling roar coursed trough the battlefield as all around him came destruction. His fury wiped out most of the closer enemies, leaving him and his squad few precious seconds to reorganise and recuperate their breath, before the arrival of next wave. With a rapid glance, he inspected his soldiers. Few of them were slightly injured but nothing too serious. In their eyes a sparkle of determination shone, as the sun began to set behind the mountains. Another loud noise came from before them. The next swarm of enemies approached.

* * *

Meanwhile, the underground tunnels rumbled, as small clouds of dust came down from the stony ceiling.

"What was that!?"Asked Nix, getting closer to the white dragon.

"I don't know, but it doesn't seem very reassuring."Stated Hunter.

"Amazing, we're all gonna die buried in this freaking mountain!"Said Sparx,

"Let me check."Said Gaia, stopping in her tracks and closing her eyes. Her forepaws began to glow eerily with green earth energy. In her face, a focused frown appeared as the others watched her curiously, waiting for an answer. She then opened her eyelids, glancing quickly the others.

"It was an earth fury. There was a sudden surge of primal energy coursing trough the terrain."She stated.

"Why should anyone cast an earth fury, if not in-"Hunter was interrupted by Cynder.

"Combat…They're being attacked! That's why the grublins weren't there before."Said the black dragoness.

"If it is the case, we must hurry."Answered the cheetah, taking the lead. The others followed him suit. Nix moved to Auros right side.

"Are you ok?"She asked, with a caring tone.

"Yeah, Spyro isn't heavy as his brother pictured him. I'm just a bit worried for him and for all of this situation, that's all."He replied, his gaze meeting with hers.

"Ok, just…Tell me if you need anything."She finally said.

"Thank you, I will."

That said, the dragoness licked swiftly his cheek, then moved on with Gaia and Hunter. Cynder however remained by his side, as she kept watching on Spyro. Her eyes drifted to Auros's neck and she cringed as soon as she saw the still well visible bruises on his throat. She exhaled heavily.

"Auros?"She called him.

"Yes?"He replied, turning his head.

"I know that I've already told you before, but I want to know that I'm really, extremely, sorry for what I've done to you. I was blinded by my emotions and I didn't figure out that you were just trying to help me." Said the black dragoness. The white dragon smiled gently in response.

"No need to be sorry. To me, that's water under the bridge now. Now let's focus about getting out of here alive, shall we?"He said.

"Yeah…Anyway…"Continued the dragoness.

"You two look nice together."She stated, glancing to Nix.

"Uh…Thanks."Replied the white dragon smiling.

The group kept on going for quite sometime until Sparx broke the silence with one of his usual shouts.

"Guys! I see light at the end of the tunnel!"He said excited.

"Let's just hope to find another creepy cave with dark crystals and other nightmarish stuff."Added Gaia, ironically. They speeded up for the last meters of their daunting journey inside those damned tunnels. The group exited quickly the cave, as a strong and disgusting smell of blood and burned flesh infested their senses. Dusk was leaving place to the darkness of the night. A starless and moonless night. Around the narrow opening from where they exited, patches of dried grass were burning, shedding their light and illuminating the surroundings. Several grublin bodies were scattered to the ground and impaled to ice shards fixed on some makeshift barricades. Dark blood drenching the dull earth. All of a sudden an ear-shattering roar split the sky, soon followed by a great noise and a surge of energy. The group directed quickly towards the source of the sound, which came from their right. They saw the elders completely surrounded by a great number of enemies, their back against the stony walls of the mountains. They all looked pretty tired, several of them seemed to be wounded.

"We need to help them!"Shouted Gaia. The others nodded and began to charge the enemies, in order to clear the path for reaching the soldiers. The guardians smiled fondly at their arrival, nodding at the youngsters. Auros moved to the middle and gently posed Spyro on the grass, before returning to help the others. The now whole team kept on fighting those monstrosities, repelling them we all they had. However, again, the enemy always seemed to return more and more numerous, forcing the dragons to slowly back up towards the mountain wall.

In that moment Spyro regained his senses. It took him several time to focus on the environment around him, as his sight wasn't yet used to the fire light surrounding him. His hearing was dulled, since he couldn't hear nothing more than muffled sounds and explosions. His body was sore, even if his wounds were almost all sealed and his head was spinning. The purple dragon tried to stand up, but a surge of pain came from his right foreleg and he fell back to his original position. He laid on his right side with his face posed over the dried grass, when his vision began to clear. Before him, he glimpsed several dragons. They seemed to be fighting something, their bodies were sore and wounded, just like him. He then noticed that one of them laid motionlessly to the ground with something protruding out of his flank. A surge of fear coursed in him, slapping the dragon out of the dizziness he was experiencing. Adrenaline rushed trough his body, making him standing up, not caring of his limbs screaming in pain.

In front of him there were his friends and they needed his help.

He felt a familiar energy flowing in him. It was utterly different from the usual magical power which had been completely sapped out of his body during his imprisonment. No, this felt like the power of the time and earth itself coursing trough his veins. With it, he felt the nature around him, the soil, the mountain, the sky, the clouds. Everything was giving him energy. Spyro eagerly tapped in this power, as around him all became frozen. He dragged his aching body near his friends. He happily noticed that nobody seemed to be severely hurt, apart for that poor soldier laid on the ground. He then released his hold on time, as his paws began to glow in green energy. Around the group of dragons the earth began to tremble and the sky covered in dark clouds. It took a long moment to his companions to figure out what was happening. Cynder turned around and gasped at the sight of the purple dragon, standing tall and glowing with green and yellow. His eyes completely white.

All of a sudden the soil began to split and sky boomed with thunders. Enormous cracks coursed the terrain around their enemies. The grublins didn't have time to react before they got swallowed deep in the chasms created under their feet. The few which managed to escape where hit straight with tens of lightning falling from the dark sky. Earth and Sky were united under his fury, spreading death and destruction around the purple dragon. Meanwhile the tunnels and caves inside the mountains began to collapse and deep in the heart of the peaks the dark crystal began to shatter. It was only matter of few seconds, before it completely crumbled under the extreme weight of the surrounding mountain. A massive magical shockwave generated from the breaking of the crystal, which invested even the dragons outside, as a dense column of dust elevated in the nigh sky.

An eerie silence fell on the battlefield.

Spyro was having difficulty to breathe, since his whole body was contracting in fatigue. He suddenly felt his head go lighter, as his limbs failed under his weight. The purple dragon collapsed on the grass, his vision becoming more blurred by each moment that went by. Around him everything faded. His consciousness slipped, once again, into the void.

**Thank you for reading, hope to see you next time!**

**I'm also happy to announce that this is the last part of the "Echoes of Darkness" sequence.**


	17. Chapter 17 - Recover

**Hi dear readers. Finally I managed to update the story. I want to thank you for the reviews. Also welcome to the new followers, I hope you are all enjoying the journey. Let me now in a review or in a PM. I'd love to hear your feedback. Have a good reading!**

**-Azotac**

His senses came slowly back to him. However he didn't found himself where he remembered to be. Instead of the dead grass and the dull earth, under him there was something grainy, that gently brushed his scales. He opened his eyes, but strangely the dim light didn't hurt them, as it came from an opening that was a couple or less meters from him. He was laying on his back, gazing at the ceiling of what seemed to be a…hut? The structure was circular with the walls made of stone and the roof of big green leaves and tree branches.

"_Weird…_"He thought. He also found out that his head was posed on some sort of leaves-made cushion.

He then tried to move.

A jolt of pain coursed trough his entire body. From the tip of his tail to he point of his snout, every muscle, every fibre was contracting and burning in agony. He yelped at that horrific sensation and quickly returned still.

"_Ok, ok. Bad idea_"He said to himself. Then, his still lightly deafened hearing, caught some noises coming from the opening that seemed to be the entrance of the place he was in. They seemed to be mumblings, like someone talking at low voice. Then something or someone entered the hut, its shadow momentarily obscuring the light from his eyes.

"Spyro?"The figure called, with a too familiar voice. It took less than a moment to the purple dragon to identify the owner of the voice and his answer came soon after.

"_Cy-Cynder?_"He murmured feebly. An awkward silence fell in the hut, before the dragoness rushed in a jolt to his side.

"Spyro! You're awake!"Said the black dragoness, before nuzzling his forehead. She then stopped, her eyelids narrowing a bit.

"Don't you dare to ever do this again! You made us all worry sick!"She said, with a serious tone.

Spyro giggled lightly."I can't guarantee nothing…"He answered weakly. Her face returned to her concerned smile, before she posed her forehead on his. They stood like that for quite some time, enjoying each other warmth, which they both missed so much. Spyro wanted to talk again with her, but his mouth was arid like a desert.

"Cynder… Could I get something to…drink?"He asked gently. Her eyes widened.

"Yes, of course." She then leaned to one side of the hut, where there were a couple of leather sacks. She took the one on the right and laid it near Spyro. The purple dragon tried once more to raise at least his upper body, but again, his muscles contracted in pain. Cynder gasped, holding his back with one paw and her wing.

"Let me help you."She said smiling. She then removed the cap from the leather bag and posed the tip on Spyro's lips. He drank with eagerness the clear liquid which refreshed his whole body and eased a bit the thirst. He emptied the water reserve and emitted a pleased moan.

"Better like this?"Asked Cynder.

"Much better."He answered. She began to gently caress his neck, paying attention to not touch him on his wounds. Spyro meanwhile had the occasion to inspect himself a bit.

His whole chest and right shoulder were wrapped in thick white bandages, some of them were also stained with a sort of green ointment.

"If you're asking yourself what are those, they should be chewed medicinal herbs. They act as a painkiller, Auros gave them to the healer, which promptly used them on you."She said.

"Healer?"

"Yeah, after…well… what happened that night, your condition was…"She paused.

"Dire to say the least. So the Guardians sent a wind soldier to Warfang in order to gather some reinforcements and medical help."She answered.

"Luckily they arrived only several hours later. So the healer managed to cure you. "

The purple dragon nodded in response. In him, memories of the night of his liberation slowly came afloat. With them several questions reached his mind.

The dragoness caressed again him on his neck, until Spyro broke the silence.

"Cynder?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"Where are we?How did you find me in the first place? Are the others fine?"He asked, worriedly.

"These are three questions, purple boy."She answered mockingly.

"Anyway, second issue first. We actually didn't know for sure if we would ever find you in the mountains, it was just our best and only chance and of course we took it. You can't imagine how happy we were when we found you."She said.

"Now onto the first question. We currently are at the Eastern Coasts, several hours of flight from Warfang."

"And how did we got there?"Asked again Spyro. The dragoness exhaled heavily.

"After the shockwave that came out from the mountain, we were all blown away and scattered in various direction for few meters. We managed to reunite after several minutes and that's when we found you."She paused, her gaze directing towards the light filtering trough the entrance.

* * *

_Cynder tumbled over the barren earth for some eternal seconds, until she halted, her body scraping in the dirt. After the first moments of dizziness, she tried to stand up. Her mouth gaped in witnessing what was before her. The mountain as well as her surroundings were covered by a thick layer of light-grey dust. The dragoness coughed upon inhaling the air, but with the help of her wind element she managed to clear it. _

_"I need to find Spyro."She said to herself, trying to return to where she were before the shockwave. She began walking and soon after she saw a flame in the near vicinities. She got closer to the bright light, only to find Auros standing in front of her, with a stream of fire jutting out form his maw. They nodded to each other and then she followed him. Sparx's light appeared soon after as he added to the duo._

_Others team members soon joined them, guided by the light. After a minute or so they found the remains of the stone and ice barricades, near them there was the lifeless body of a fire dragon, a spear implanted in his flank. Baldur got loser to the deceased soldier bowing his head and murmuring a prayer. _

_"Go and find Spyro, I'll stay here."Said the captain. The rest of the team nodded sadly and walked for another couple of minutes. Auros finally halted, before him a glint of purple reflected the fire light. Cynder speeded in front of him, but she stopped abruptly upon witnessing the violet dragon, her face tinging with pure fear._

_"No…"_

* * *

"I must admit that I felt my breath stop for a second when I saw your body…"She said closing her eyes, her face tinging with a sorrowful frown.

"Almost every wound you got was bleeding, like if you haven't been cured at all."She continued.

"Ancestors wanted that the soldiers had gathered several gems before the attack, so we used them to at least seal your wounds and prevent you to bleed to death, but…"She hesitated.

"But?"He echoed curiously. She sighed sadly.

"Your…heart wasn't beating anymore."She said finally.

* * *

_The dragoness nudged his head desperately, trying to wake him up._

_"No, Spyro. Please wake up."She pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes. They used every red gem they could, but the purple drake was still laying limp and still on the barren earth. Terrador moved closer to him, placing gently his forepaw on his neck, searching for a pulse. After few eternal seconds, the earth guardian bowed his head in defeat, his eyes closed with a tear sliding down on his cheek._

_"No…NO!"_

* * *

"My heart…what? How…"Spyro was disbelieved.

"The red gems were no longer working. I really despaired in that moment, I thought…I thought I lost you forever…"A tear sliding down her cheek. The purple dragon watched her in confusion and sadness, waiting to hear how they managed to tear him from death's grasp.

"Suddenly an electricity soldier, Morden was his name I think, offered to use his power to try to restart your heart. "She said.

* * *

_"Sir, maybe I could try…"Said a soldier stepping in. His topaz scales and silver underbelly gleaming in the firelight. Terrador moved away from Spyro and left the soldier place his paw over his neck._

_"He's still warm, maybe we have a chance."He said sadly. The dragon turned the youngster with his back to the ground, and implanted his talons on his left flank and on his upper-right chest. _

_"Stand back, please."_

_He then charged his talons and sent a struck of electricity across the purple dragon's body. His chest raised abruptly at the passing of the current. The soldier then placed his nuzzle on the youngster's one and frowned. He struck again, but obtained the same result. However after the fourth time, the soldier's muzzle tinted with a wide smile, as a feeble but warm breath caressed his muzzle. Spyro's chest was raising slowly._

* * *

"He tried several times but finally he succeeded."Added Cynder, wiping the tears from her emerald eyes.

* * *

_"You did it!"Screamed Cynder, as the others sighed in pure relief, but before anyone could stay something, Terrador's booming voice struck the silence._

_"Private Lance, are you in condition to fly?"_

_"Yessir!"Answered the wind dragon._

_"Very well. Go and fly to Warfang as fast as you can and gather reinforcements and medical assistance. We will meet at the ruins of the Eastern Coast."Ordered the Guardian. The soldier nodded an in a heartbeat he flung himself in the air, disappearing in the night._

* * *

"In the end, Terrador took you on his back and we flew all night long to the coast, while the wind soldier directed towards Warfang."She concluded.

Spyro was speechless. He still couldn't realise all that happened to him and his friends in just few days.

"…It's my fault. If I had been more careful, this whole thing won't be ever happened."He said, sadly. The black dragoness covered him with her other wing, coiling her tail around his.

"None of this is your fault…" She reassured, caressing him.

"You don't know how much I'm happy to have you back with me."She whispered in his ears.

Cynder cuddled him for some other time and when he seemed to have calmed down, she released him, posing him gently on the leaves.

"To answer your last question. Our friends are fine and are really worried for you. Do you want to see them?"She asked gently.

"Yes, gladly."He responded. The dragoness nodded and left the hut, while Spyro's gaze returned to face the ceiling. He could glimpse some orange clouds painted on a blue-violet sky. He relaxed at that sight, his tensed muscles eased a bit, as he closed his eyes. However, his peace endured less than few seconds, because the silence was broken by someone entering the hut at great speed.

"Where are you, purple lump?"Said the voice. The dragonfly zipped towards Spyro position, hugging firmly his muzzle.

"I'm here,Sparx. I'm here."He answered. The purple dragon instinctively licked his brother, which yelped in surprise and in disgust. Sparx moved away a bit.

"Did you really have to do it?"He asked in disbelief, trying to remove Spyro's saliva from his wings.

"Yep, it's a way to tell you that I missed you very much."Answered mockingly the youngster.

"Yeah, yeah. Imma head out and give my self a clean from this…disgusting thing."Concluded the dragonfly, exiting the hut. Spyro giggled to himself, meanwhile three other figures entered in the room. He recognised instantly Nix, Gaia and Auros getting closer to him.

"Hey guys…"Said the purple dragon to his friends.

"Hey Spyro, how do you feel?"Asked Auros, moving closer to the purple dragon.

"I've been better. Cynder told me that you gave me these herbs, thank you." Replied Spyro.

"Well, you needed them more than I did. So no need to thank me."Stated the white youngster, smiling.

"I'm glad to see you're all safe and sound."Said the purple dragon.

"And we're all happy that you're still here with the livings!"Said Gaia. Nix slapped her friend with the flat of her tail blade on her rear.

"Gaia! A little tact."She hissed. Spyro giggled.

"I think we'll let you rest now. Tell us if you need anything, ok?"Said Auros, pushing the other two dragonesses to the entrance.

"I will, thank you."Replied Spyro before turning his gaze again to the darkening sky. Cynder returned inside the hut, curling near her purple dragon. She nuzzled gently his cheek, he did the same soon after. She then posed the side of her head on his neck, to feel his precious heart beat. A sound she thought she would never hear again. They stood together like that for some time, until Cynder raised her head and sniffed the air.

"Seems like they're preparing the dinner, would you like something to eat?"She asked him.

"Yes please. I'm starving."Answered the purple dragon.

"Ok, wait here. I'll be back in a second."She said before jolting up and running out from the exit.

Spyro watched her form disappear in the dim light of the already finished sunset and return with a big piece of meat in her jaws. She dragged a leaf and then posed the meat on it, preventing from getting in contact with sand.

"Here it is, would you like me to help you?"Asked Cynder.

"It would be very welcome."He answered. The dragoness helped him to raise his upper body and the to eat the dinner. Spyro hadn't eaten for several days so that meat tasted like the best in the world, as he ate with voracity the meal.

"Thank you Cynder."He said, nuzzling her cheek.

"You're welcome, handsome."She replied, winking. The black dragoness then stop up and laid her body behind Spyro's back, making his head rest on her flank. The purple dragon smiled fondly at her, losing himself in her eyes. He then posed his gaze onto her neck, where there was the collar he gifted her.

"I forgot how much you're beautiful when you wear it."He said.

"You're saying that I wasn't beautiful before?"She replied mockingly. Spyro instantly reddened.

"That's not what I meant-"He was interrupted by Cynder licking his face.

"I was just messing with you."She finally said, resting her head on his neck, caring to not touch his injuries.

"I love you Cynder."

"I love you too." Both dragons drifted into sleep.

* * *

Night fell on the camp of dragons, only the moons illuminating dimly the ripples of the waves. Laid beside the fire pit, Baldur was holding in his paws an iron helmet. It was slightly battered, with crusts of dried earth and a streak of blood across its left side. The captain noticed someone getting closer to him, but he kept his eyes fixed on the helm. The figure sat near the fire, Baldur exhaled heavily.

"You know, Master Terrador, I've lost countless soldiers during the war. I really hoped that the suffering would stop with the fall of Malefor…"He sighed"…But it seems I was wrong."He said. The earth guardian smiled sadly at him. In reality he didn't know how to properly answer or at least comfort a bit the captain. Eventually he posed his paw over Baldur shoulder.

"Dareon was a nice dragon, he'll be dearly missed."He stated.

"Yeah. I'm sure his sister will be heart-broken."Sighed the earth captain.

"Should we tell to Master Spyro about him?"Asked then Baldur.

"Not yet, my friend. I know the young dragon enough to know it would only hurt his emotional state and so his recovery. We should wait a couple of days at least."

"I understand…"

"Have a good night captain."Said finally Terrador, standing up and directing towards his resting place near Cyril. The captain remained alone beside the fire, his gaze now turned to the horizon.

The earth guardian walked slowly towards his makeshift bed and laid heavily onto it. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. However after several minutes of shifting place, he still didn't managed to properly rest. He cursed himself and finally laid on his back, gazing the stars. His head was filled with thoughts and worries of all sorts. He knew that at least this was a safe place to rest for sometime, before prepare for their return to Warfang. He was also greatly concerned for the health of Spyro, even after the intervention of the healer. He felt a great sense of sadness and fear, when he saw his dire condition after the battle. The guardian still remained amazed from the fury he managed to conjure, despite his state. He just hoped that the purple dragon would recovery without suffering any permanent damages.

"Having some trouble with sleep, old friend?"Asked suddenly Cyril, who had awoken beside him.

"I'm worried for our young Spyro…"

"Like we all are. I'd say it's a really great thing that he woke up two hours ago."Replied the ice guardian.

"I know, it's just… You saw his injuries. They tortured him and not with their usual methods."Stated grimly the earth guardian.

Cyril stood silent, eyeing his colleague with a mixture of sadness and sorrow, knowing what he was referring to.

"…They used dark crystals. You saw how much pain they deal on adult dragons, what scars they leave on our bodies and…what are often the consequences on our abilities…"Added the earth elder. Cyril frowned deeply, as images of fellows comrades flashed before his eyes, their bodies torn apart and wounded by those sick monstrosities.

"Also, it's not an exaggeration to say that he saved us yesterday night, despite his horrible conditions and probably knowing it could have cost him his life."Continued Terrador, facing his colleague.

"Ignitus always said that Spyro never ceased to amaze him. He was definitely right…"Murmured Cyril, soon after he turned to face Terrador.

"He demonstrated to be one of the strongest dragon in the realms. I'm sure he will recover, if we help him properly."Concluded the ice guardian, resting his head on his own forearms and closing his eyes.

"Yeah…"Replied Terrador, gazing again the stars.

* * *

It took another full day of rest and several red gems, before Spyro could be able to at least stand on his own paws. His right foreleg still pained him a great deal whenever he dared to put too much weight on it, since the wound he received was pretty deep. The medic, which was a young silver scaled dragoness named Argentia, visited him hourly. The purple dragon recognised her from his days in the infirmary, as she was Aramis's main assistant. The healer changed his bandages, which permitted Spyro to see the state of his wounds. Most of them were sealed, leaving jagged scars along his chest, he also noticed burnings both on his left flank and on his upper-right chest. He guessed they were caused from the electricity used to restart his heart.

He was at least comforted by Cynder's presence, who stood by his side all the time, supporting him. During the second day Hunter and the guardians came to salute him and to see how he was faring. The elders worries partially faded away when they saw that he was progressively recovering, still a tinge of sadness remained in them, witnessing a so young creature dealing with those painful wounds.

Finally on the third morning and with the approval from Argentia, Spyro decided to leave the hut and, with the help of Cynder, he walked outside. The coastal landscape was indeed new to Spyro, since he had actually never been by a real beach. He noticed the presence of several rocky ruins in the sand. Some columns were jutting out from the terrain, some crumbled walls and bricks were scattered to the ground. They seemed to be very old, like they've been there for centuries at least. He decided to ask the Guardians later about those structures. He also noticed happily that everyone in the camp was taking it easy since the Guardians decided to concede some needed rest to the team. His friends were laid on the candid white sand, chatting with each other, when they noticed the couple coming in their direction. They stood up and met them half-way trough.

"Hey guys."Saluted the purple dragon. The others smiled fondly at him.

"Hey Spyro, do you feel any better?"Asked worriedly the white dragon. Spyro's friends eyed his scarred body, which now was bandage-less, cringing a bit at the state of their poor friend.

"Yeah, still not in perfect shape, but better than yesterday for sure."He giggled, a tinge of sadness in his words. Suddenly an idea jumped in Gaia's head.

"Well, since you feel better, would you like to come with us to take a bath? The water is beautiful and, actually, not too cold!"She proposed excitedly.

"We should ask Argentia her opinion."Said Cynder, before Spyro could react. She then nuzzled the purple dragon's cheek.

"I'm going to ask her, you guys wait here."She said moving away from the group. Spyro sat on the warm sand, eyeing aimless the horizon. Auros moved near the purple dragon which turned an inquisitive gaze on him.

"Nobody said that you can't at least sit with us on the shore."He said grinning. Spyro smiled at him, standing up. He winched a bit for his leg, but the white dragon supported him with his flank.

"C'mon, you'll see it's beautiful."

The four friends walked together to the shore, sitting just in front of the rippling water. A wave crushed in the sand and reached the purple dragon's paws, making him shiver for a moment. The water was indeed beautiful, its colour was of a deep sea blue, with flashes of green here and there that gleamed at the sunlight. A gentle breeze was coursing trough the air, moving gently the particles of sand and caressing Spyro's face, easing a bit the warm sun rays reflecting on his purple scales.

"Spyro?"Cynder called. He turned around, only to find her loved one accompanied by the medic. Spyro eyed the silver dragoness with curiosity, since he couldn't properly see her wholly during his permanence in the hut. Argentia was indeed a dragoness in her prime. Her silver scales and her blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight. Her underbelly as well as her four straight horns, were of a very light turquoise. She eyed the purple dragon concerned, before getting closer to him. Spyro retracted a bit, at which the dragoness giggled.

"Spyro, I'm not gonna bite you."She snickered. The purple dragon relaxed and let himself inspect from the dragoness. She eyed closely the worst wounds and after a minute she nodded.

"Well, my young hero. I think you can enter without the risk of damaging your new tissues. Plus the salty water could help remove eventual residues and disinfect, even if it could sting a bit. Just be careful on not straining that right foreleg of yours, ok?"She concluded eyeing the purple dragon right shoulder.

"Yes, Miss Argentia."He said, bowing his head. The dragoness giggled.

"Please, there's no need of such formalities. In fact, I should be the one calling you with a title."She responded smiling. She then turned to Cynder.

"C'mon, go and have fun."She said, gesturing with her head. The youngsters nodded and began to direct into the water, following their friends.

Spyro padded slowly in the crystalline liquid, until it reached the level of his upper chest. The waves pushing him gently back at their passing. His friends began to swim, going further on into the sea. Spyro began to swim too, helping himself with his tail and paying attention not to move too much his injured limb. He dipped his head under water as a jolt of coldness refreshed him. The drake re-emerged soon after, trying to increase his speed. The purple dragon noticed that his friends were walking on what seemed to be a pocket of emerged sand, like a small strip of shore in the middle of the water. He soon reached them and caught the occasion to admire his surroundings. They were at least twenty meters away from the shoreline, around them the water rippled gently carried by the fresh breeze, emitting a constant and calming sound. Small pockets of clouds passed slowly over the intense blue sky, occasionally covering the warm sunlight. Spyro watched his friends run in and out of the water, chasing them selves, flying up and dive in the deeper sea. He smiled at them as he finally felt at peace after the great suffering he endured. However even if he was recovering, he felt weaker than ever. Spyro shivered thinking about what he experienced in that cave and at the horrible feeling of his magic force leaving his body at each stab from the grublin. The purple hero raised his paw and looked at it. As small droplets of water ran down his violet scales, he focused on the residual magical power left inside him, it wasn't nearly as strong as it used to be and this worried him a lot, but he could still feel it. Soon after the droplets of water began to froze on his skin. He smiled in satisfaction, as he then conjured his dozed fire element and made the frozen drops sizzle and evaporate instantly.

"_At least I didn't lose them at all_."He sighed, slightly relieved. Spyro eventually closed his eyes and let himself calm down and relax, trying to detach from the agony of his body and mind. He welcomed the breeze, the waves, the sand and the nature around him. He could feel it, powerful and mighty, almost overwhelming to him. A smile tinted on his muzzle as he let himself drag away by everything, his mind relaxed and clear from any pain now.

Cynder reemerged from the water and noticed that Spyro was sitting still on the sand. She raised an eyebrow and got closer to him. She sat to his left side, her gaze scrutinising the purple drake. Cynder grinned when she saw that he was smiling, bathing in the sunlight. She took the occasion to admire him. Even after all he had suffered, his muscles still remained well defined. However the signs of the loss of weight were clearly noticeable, as his ribs were visible against his violet scales. Jagged scars ran along his flanks and chest and even if she had already seen them a couple of times, she still cringed, imagining the pain he endured. Her sorrow increased even more, upon seeing the burnt signs on his left flank, were the soldier used his electricity to save him.

"You're staring?"His voice suddenly broke the silence. The black dragoness was slapped out of her trance as she gazed dumbfounded the drake, his eyes still closed.

"…How?"She asked. Spyro lifted his eyelids, turning his amethyst eyes and his smile towards the most precious thing he had in the world. She was even more beautiful that he remembered to be. Her obsidian scales shimmering in the sunlight as well as her deep emerald eyes, which were watching him inquisitively.

"I heard you coming and sit there, so I took a guess. It seems I was lucky."He snickered. She watched him for few more seconds, before smiling at him and resting gently her head on his left shoulder. He covered her with one wing and rested his head onto hers.

"Cynder?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you, for being always with me."He said, lovingly.

"You know I would do anything for you…"She answered.

"I would too, for you."

They embraced each other, before pulling away when they heard someone giggling before them. Nix, Gaia and Auros were watching them, all content to see them together again.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but I think we should head back. It seems they're making lunch!"Stated Gaia. The couple nodded and followed their friends back to the camp. The fire pit was lit with several pieces of meat cooking on a spit, the tasty smell inebriated the youngster senses as soon as they reached the shore. Spyro walked slowly towards his hut accompanied by Cynder. However before they could arrive, Terrador intercepted them. The great earth dragon smiled gently at the couple.

"Spyro! It's good to see you walking on your paws. Argentia told us that you're steadily recovering. " He said, with a smile.

"Thank you Terrador. I sincerely don't know if I would have survived much longer in that cave." He said grimly.

"…Speaking about that…Would you like to tell me and Cyril what exactly happened during your…Imprisonment? Of course if you're ready to."Asked carefully the guardian. Cynder watched apprehensively her purple hero while he pondered the question.

"Yes, I'll tell you all that I can."He answered finally. Terrador smiled warmly, nodding.

"Thank you. However we shall eat before that, don't you agree?"Asked the guardian. The two youngsters nodded, before following the earth dragon to the fire pit.

After eating their lunch, Terrador guided Spyro and Cynder towards a repaired spot under the shade of a ruin that emerged from the sand, Cyril following them closely. They sat in circle, waiting for Spyro to begin with his narration. The purple told them al that he remembered of his days in the enemy's grasp. The guardians and Cynder listened closely to what he said, frowning whenever he mentioned the use of the dagger on his body. He stopped after few minutes of non-stop talking, Cynder cover him with her wing to comfort the poor drake.

"This is troubling."Stated Terrador.

"Indeed it is. From what you told us, their interest just seemed to make you experience as much pain as possible. My question is…why?"Frowned Cyril.

"Vengeance? I mean, we defeated their master so it's logical that they were looking for a way to have a payback."Observed Cynder.

"That could be the case, but why don't kidnap you too, since you actually 'betrayed' Malefor and helped Spyro bring him down. It doesn't make sense…"Objected Terrador. They stood silent for some time pondering.

"Anyway, thank you Spyro for sharing your…experience with us even if it was painful. Now you can go to rest if you wish."Stated finally Terrador, breaking the silence.

"It was nothing. However before I go, can I ask you a question? It just got now in my mind."Enquired the purple dragon.

"Yes, of course."Answered Cyril.

"When I woke up outside of the mountain, before I used the fury… I noticed there was a badly injured dragon near you. Is he fine?"Asked worriedly Spyro. The other three dragons cringed at the question, their gaze dropping sadly.

"I'm sorry Spyro, but Dareon didn't make it."Answered eventually Terrador. Spyro dropped his mouth open, then sadly bowed his head with a tear rushing from his eyes. After minute of silence he spoke again.

"I'm sorry…It's my fault…I-"

"Spyro, please. None of the things that happened in these days is your fault. Dareon, as well as all the soldiers who swore loyalty to Warfang, knew the risk of his duty."He paused, caressing his crest with one wing.

"I know it's sad, but trust me, the best thing you can do for him remember his sacrifice and honour his memory. Do not carry over your shoulder faults you don't have." Concluded solemn the earth guardian. Spyro raised his head, wiping his eyes.

"Now, my young friend, go to rest. You'll need to recover as best as you can, before we depart tomorrow."Added Terrador. The purple dragon nodded, then stood up with Cynder and without another word he and his loved one directed towards his hut.


	18. Chapter 18 - The Path to Home

**Surprise! I Finally managed to end this chapter before the exams. Thank you for your patience and welcome to all the new followers. I hope you are enjoying the journey far.**

**-Azotac**

Auros, Nix and Gaia were staying under the shade of a rocky ruin when they saw their two friends directing towards Spyro's hut. The white dragon noticed that the purple dragon's morale seemed to be sombre and sad.

"_Maybe they told him about that soldier…_"He said to himself. Upon noticing his still visible limp, his mood saddened. He couldn't help but to feel sorry for his violet friend, as he partially felt guilty for all that happened to him in the recent days. Auros actually hated himself a bit for getting injured so early during the assault of Warfang, denying him the possibility to defend his friends and new home from the grublins. He sighed sadly, dropping his head low, with the thought of all that happened during the last week bearing his mind. The azure dragoness, which was beside him, noticed his sudden drop of morale. She hesitated a second, but then unfurled her wing on the larger white dragon's back, caressing his scales gently. Auros turned his eyes to face her, smiling weakly. The dragoness nuzzled his cheek gently, which made the white dragon shudder automatically. His tension eased a bit, comforted by her presence. Soon after they broke the contact and parted a bit, with Auros aiming his snout at the sky above them. Nix watched him for sometime, trying to find a way to distract or cheer him up. She didn't like to see his usual smiley face spoiled by that frown.

"Auros?"Asked Nix, suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go for a walk…with me?"Asked timidly the azure dragoness, moving her eyes to her surroundings.

"It's really a beautiful day and I'd like to see more of this place, before we leave."She concluded, turning her gaze back to the youngster. Auros nodded smiling.

"Of course, I'd love to. But we should ask to the Guardians first. I don't think it's good just to leave without anyone knowing."He stated, standing up.

"Wait me here, I'm gonna ask Master Terrador. I'll be back in a minute."He reassured, trotting away. Nix watched him leave, while beside her, Gaia began to stir.

"You're taking him out for a walk?"She asked, with her muzzle curling into a malicious smile.

"Wanna get some privacy to…explore him?"She then said, jabbing gently her friend. Nix reddened instantly, shoving away the earth dragoness with her forepaw.

"Gaia! I would never…"She then stopped.

"We're barely at the beginning…and we're far too young."She concluded. The azure dragoness watched her friend.

"Do you mind if we leave you here, while we're away?"She asked.

"Nah, I'll be taking a nap. All that swimming and eating seriously tired me out."Replied the green dragoness, laying back on the sand.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."She concluded resting her head on her forepaws. Soon after, Auros came back and with Nix they walked outside the camp, moving southward.

The coastline extended endlessly in front of their eyes, losing itself in the horizon and in the blue of the ocean. The sky was dotted with white clouds that partially obscured the Sun at their passing. Around them the environment remained unchanged, apart for the gradual disappearance of the ruins that marked the spot of the camp. On their left they could see the outskirts of the eastern forest and far in the distance, almost completely hidden in the mist and clouds, there were the mountains from which they rescued their purple friend.

The two youngsters walked with their paws in the low water, letting the sea caress their scales. Nix turned her gaze from the beautiful nature around her, to the dragon beside her. She had to admit he was quite nice-looking. His form was generally well built, with strong muscles visible under his candid white scales, which partially reflected the colours of the sea. The gold hue of his chest and horns gleamed in the sunlight, his muzzle tinted with a relaxed smile. She returned the focus back on his scales and she noticed with disbelief the quantity of scars that marked his form. The one he received in the assault of Warfang still clearly visible on his flank, even after a week and several red gems. She frowned at that sight, as in her sparked a bit of curiosity and pity for the white drake. Nix actually realised that, apart for his name and the fact he was really kind and good-looking, she did really nothing more about him. However before she could open her mouth, Auros spoke.

"Would you like to know why they don't go away?"He asked. The dragoness remained dumbstruck at first by the sudden question. He must have surely noticed that she was staring. Nix cursed herself in her mind, before answering him.

"I just…noticed that they didn't already fade. So yes, I would like to know, if you want to tell me, of course."She replied shyly. Auros replied with a smile, before sighing.

"I have a…"He then paused, a frown coming on his features."I don't even really know how to call it, honestly…"He sighed."It should be an intolerance to red gems. They actually cure me, but the process his rather painful and in addition they leave these scars, which takes a lot of time to fade away."He added, turning his gaze away."The only who know about this…problem of mine are the Guardians as well with Spyro and Cynder. Actually Master Volteer offered to help me, but his research has been quite unproductive."He concluded. Nix pondered with almost disbelief his words, as she never heard of something so debilitating and by the helplessness in which he spoke, it made it seem that wasn't something curable. She got closer to him, draping her wing over his back. He replied with his usual gentle smile and a delicate nuzzle on her forehead. Soon after they stopped on the shore, sitting in the sand, one near each other admiring the beautiful scenery before them. Auros lost his gaze in the horizon, where the blue of the sea met the one of the sky. The hypnotic sound of the crushing waves was gently cradling his mind, making him focus again on all that happened recently. However this time he didn't let himself drag away by the worries, as he returned his attention to the moment he was living right now, standing beside a beautiful dragoness, in a beautiful landscape. He turned to gaze her, following the lines of her slender but strong body with his eyes. The translucent colour of her scales was reflecting the light of the sun, shimmering brightly. The silver of her horns mixed beautifully with the blue of the sky as her astonishing eyes were lost in the horizon. He smiled at himself, feeling the luckiest dragon in the world in having the chance to share his time with such an astonishing creature.

"It's really beautiful out here, thank you for asking me to come with you."He finally said, returning his gaze to the landscape. Nix turned to face him, but before she could talk he continued.

"But I think we should head back now, we moved quite far away from the camp."He stated. The dragoness blinked few times, before nodding in acceptance.

"You're right. Let's go."She said, before unfurling her wings and darting up in the sky, raising a cloud of sand. Auros coughed and blinked quickly in order to shove away the sand and then took the sky after her. The white dragon reached her in seconds, flying to her right. They smiled at each other before speeding up the pace.

It took them a dozen of minutes of steady flight to return the base camp. They landed softly near the ruin where there was Gaia, still sleeping soundly under the shade of the crumbled wall.

* * *

Cynder left the hut after keeping company to her lover. Their little swim actually took him a lot of energy and in addition the bad news about the fallen soldier struck him deeply. Of course, even if Terrador told him that it wasn't his fault, Spyro still felt guilty for the passing of the fire soldier. He cried for some minutes, with the black dragoness by his side, consoling him. In the end, when all the emotional was burden released from his wounded body, he drifted into sleep, comforted by Cynder's company. She couldn't feel more sorry form him. It wasn't right that he suffered even more after all he's been trough, but still he couldn't find peace, not with his self-imposed guilt clinging his heart.

Outside the small structure he found Sparx hovering in front of the entering.

"How's he going?"Asked worriedly the golden dragonfly.

"His wounds are almost healed, but his leg still pains him a tad…"

"And to make things even worse, he feels guilty for what happened to the fallen soldier."She added sadly.

"It was predictable… I mean it's my bro we're talking about. Always piling everything on his purple shoulders."Replied Sparx.

"Yeah…".

There was an awkward silence between the two for sometime, until the dragonfly broke the eerie calm, his sigh taking by surprise the black dragoness.

"You know, I feel quite an asshole right now…"Stated the golden bug. Cynder raised her brow in disbelief.

"I feel like I never really worried for him, like a real brother would and should do… He's been always with me"He chuckled sombrely." I can say I took him for granted…"

"Even when you returned from the battle with Malefor I didn't think I could really lose him. Yes it did cross my mind, and I grieved for a couple of minutes, but then I remembered he is the strongest dragon in the world so my preoccupation faded."He paused.

"But when I saw what happened to him in that…cave, what those monster have done to him… my confidence just crumbled."He sighed.

"I saw my only brother and best friend almost fade away before my eyes and I…I did nothing to help him, if not making jokes."He concluded. The black dragoness remained completely dumbfounded by his words. Actually she never expected that she could hear a serious speech by Sparx, maybe these last days made him mature more quickly than the last few years of his life. She suddenly felt pity for the poor dragonfly, as she moved closer with her muzzle to him. Cynder nuzzled gently the dragonfly, which was taken a back for a second.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to comfort you, idiot."She replied. The dragonfly reluctantly placed his tiny hand on her nose, feeling the back scales gently warmed by afternoon the sun.

"You know…you're not that bad"He added.

"Oh Ancestors! A compliment from the Mighty Sparx?! Is the world ending again?"She said ironically.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it…"His mouth curled into a mischievous grin.

"Cyn".

"How did you call me?"She replied sternly, but before she could act, the dragonfly had already speeded away from the youngster. Cynder snorted a puff of black smoke, gazing her lover's brother running away.

"_He's back to normal, it seems._"She thought, before turning back into the hut. She curled herself around the sleeping figure of the purple dragon, which was resting calmly on the leaves-made bed. She licked swiftly his cheek, making him unconsciously smile. He hummed gently, before shifting a bit the position of his head, letting the dragoness get a bit more comfy. She inspected again his body, as she caressed his neck with one paw. He was getting better, he just needed some more time. Cynder remained in silence, watching over him for all the time, while outside the sun slowly shifted in the sky.

* * *

Spyro woke with Cynder curled around him, covering his body with her magenta wings. He smiled at the sensation of the dragoness's scales against his own, her warmth flooded his heart with peace and calm. He tried to stay still, but her beady eyes were already open only few seconds later, eyeing wearily the purple dragon.

"Good morning."He said, nuzzling her cheek.

" 'Morning, handsome."She replied the nuzzle. The last day of permanence by the coast passed rather quickly and smoothly for him, since he rested for all the afternoon and slept early in the evening. He felt a bit better than the last morning, with a bit more energy in his limbs and a strong will of returning home after his rather long and daunting imprisonment. He nuzzled again his black companion before rolling on his belly a slowly pushing himself up, his right foreleg trembled a bit at the sudden strain, but he managed to stand on his paws without a flinch. Spyro then unfurled gently his wings, exercising them a bit, joints popping at the movements. He smiled, feeling no more muscular pain in his back, after all he may be able to fly home by himself today, as he didn't want to be another burden to the group. Cynder eyed him with a curious smile, before addressing him.

"You seem to be healing more quickly."She said getting closer to him, licking his cheek."I'm glad that you're feeling a bit better."She said lovingly.

"Yeah, me too. I really want to go home as soon as possible, I don't want to burden you guys even more."

"Spyro, you're never a burden. Some guards out there said that they're honoured to be chosen to rescue you."Replied the black dragoness. Spyro shook his head sadly.

"Still, someone lost his life because of me…"

Cynder pressed him muzzle against his in order to comfort him, then slide her head down until their foreheads met together.

"None of this is you fault, remember Terrador's words."She said, with a firm yet gentle tone. The Guardian's words returned afloat in the purple dragon's mind, easing a bit the guilt clenching his heart. He sighed.

They stood like that for some other moments, until Cynder pulled away, smiling at him.

"C'mon, we should prepare to leave."She said gently, moving for the exit of the hut.

The morning sun welcomed them at open arms, engulfing their form with bright and warm light. Spyro examined his surroundings, noticing that the camp was already almost dismantled, with several soldiers stripping on their armours and standing in formation.

"Spyro! Cynder!". The couple turned around to see who called them. It was Terrador, accompanied by Argentia. The silvery dragoness bowed slightly her head in their presence before returning her gaze to the guardian.

"Spyro, my boy, how are you feeling?"Asked worriedly the earth dragon.

"Better, Terrador. I think I may be able to fly by myself-"

"You're not flying anywhere, until I've done a proper check up on you, Spyro."Interrupted the medic. The purple dragon recoiled a little, before straightening his posture up, while the dragoness got closer to him. She inspected neatly his most serious wounds and the wing joints as well as his back. Cynder couldn't help but snicker at the sight of his embarrassed partner. To her, he always looked very cute when put under social pressure. Spyro turned his gaze to face her, discomfort clear in his gaze, she rolled her eyes and replied with a gentle smile which calmed him down.

After several minutes and a final overall glance, she sighed happily.

"Well, well. It seems you were right. I'll let you come home with you wings, but as soon as you feel an excessive strain, tell us to stop. You can't afford to overburden you muscles right now. Ok?"She asked. Spyro nodded.

"Very well, we're leaving in ten minutes. Gather your things."Said Terrador smiling, before leaving with Argentia. Soon after the departure of the Guardian, another familiar face came into view and, before Spyro could process it, a glowing speck was hugging firmly his muzzle. He instantly recognised his brother, and replied the hug by gently posing his right forepaw over the dragonfly.

"How are you feeling bro?"He asked with concern.

"Actually better, Argentia said I can fly home by myself today."Replied the youngster.

"Hey, that's really good news, I'm happy to hear that." At this answer Spyro raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Are you sure you're feeling well Sparx?"He asked inquisitively.

"Me? Yeah, of course I'm feeling well. I…"His gaze drifted to Cynder who was watching him with a piercing gaze, knowing where this discussion was going. The dragonfly sighed.

"Can we talk alone for a sec?"Asked then Sparx to Spyro. The black dragoness smiled inwardly, before nodding.

"I'll leave you two alone, I'll be checking on with the others to see if we gathered all of our things."She said, brushing her flank on Spyro's and leaving the two brothers alone. The purple dragon watched her walking away mesmerised by her form. He shook his head, and focused back again on his brother, which was gently rubbing his left forearm.

"So what do you want to tell me?"Asked Spyro. Sparx sighed defeat.

"I…I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."He finally said. The purple dragon raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Sorry? For what?"

"For me being the worst brother in the whole history."

"You're not that bad."

"Bro, I'm being serious… It took me the fact that you nearly died before my eyes to realise that. I…I din't protect you when you needed it, I didn't worry enough why I should had… I'm so sorry."

Spyro remained completely dumbfounded by his words. He never expected the fact that Sparx, of all the people, felt so sorry for what happened to him. He proved compassion towards his brother, which he knew that deeply cared for him, even if he didn't really show it sometimes. The youngster grabbed the dragonfly with a gentle move of his paw and held him close to his chest.

"You're a great brother Sparx, don't ever doubt about it."

"I love you bro."Said the dragonfly.

"Me too." The two brothers stood like that for some other moments before Spyro released his hold on Sparx, which flew in front of him.

"I promise I'm gonna be a better brother for you, starting right now."He said, putting his hand on his heart.

"Does it also mean that you're gonna stop mocking me?"Beamed the youngster.

"Don't exaggerate, I'll still remind you that you're an overweight lump from time to time."Snickered the dragonfly. Spyro was about to retort when a voice interrupted the conversation.

"Spyro! Sparx ! We're leaving!"Called Cyril.

"We should go. Grab my horn."Offered the purple dragon. Sparx latched onto his right horn, while Spyro trotted towards the group of dragons. He found happily that the leg didn't pain him much as before, if not for the new tissues that itched and pained only when stretched. He smiled, feeling his body stronger, even if not quite as before. Few moments later he reached his companions, which were all ready to take off. He walked near Cynder, nuzzling her cheek. Terrador cleared his throat to gain the attention of the group.

"In moments we're leaving for Warfang. If the wind will favour us, we'll arrive at the capital by sundown."He then turned his gaze towards the purple youngster.

"Spyro, you, as well as the other young ones, will stay in the middle of the formation. Remember to halt us if you're feeling too tired to proceed."

"Thank you Terrador, I hope that it won't be necessary."Said Spyro, bowing his head.

"Very well, I'll stay in front, Cyril you'll cover the back."He said to his ice colleague, which nodded promptly.

"Private Lance? You think you'll be able to support us with a bit of wind magic?"Asked the guardian.

"Yessir!"

"Good, now let's go. Home is waiting for us all."He said, darting up in the sky. Soon after the whole team rose in the air, leaving behind the Eastern shores. Spyro aimed his gaze at the horizon, with the sun which was beginning his rise above the end of the world. He turned his eyes to his left, seeing Cynder flying near him. She smiled fondly at her companion, giving all the support that he needed. He smiled in return, brushing gently his wing on hers. He then looked behind him, seeing his other three friends following their pace, also them with a good grin plastered on their snouts. They nodded in acknowledgement, before Spyro returned in his gaze in front of him. Underneath his paws the treetops were always more distant and with them the thoughts and the worries about the last week's events faded away. In his mind just one thing now.

Home.

* * *

Surprisingly their journey went smooth as still water, as the wind magic of the Wind soldier managed to help a lot Spyro during the flight. He hardly ever beaten his wings, turning his movements in no more than an endless glide. He was just mesmerised at the possibilities of the wind element and he inwardly hoped that there was a possibility for him to learn and master also that element. The legends say that the purple dragon can master all the elements, it should imply that wind his also in his possibilities. He shook his head at the thought, letting that idea slip away for another time. It was actually sundown when the Dragon City walls came into view and with it a great sense of calm and relief flooded Spyro's heart. After another half an hour, the barrier was just few hundreds meters away. He could distinguish the guards patrolling the ramparts beginning to clear the platform fo their landing which was signalled with couple of magical torches on the side. Spyro also spotted other figures but he couldn't really recognise them. He glanced lovingly at Cynder, which brushed her tail on his flak, sending shivers down his spine. Finally the platform came into view and the rescue team landed in sequence on the stone. Spyro managed to soften his landing in order to not strain his leg. The soldiers around him quickly formed a line behind in front of the two Guardians and the Captain, they all saluted with their wings, waiting for release. Spyro walked to Terrador's side and when the Guardian noticed his presence, he stopped his brief speech.

"Spyro? Shouldn't you be heading to the Temple? I-"

"I know Terrador, I…Just wanted to thank these soldiers for what they did for me."He said before bowing his head, his snout almost touching the stone beneath. That display generated a strong sense of pride in the soldiers, as well as honour and astonishment, in seeing the great Saviour bowing his head before them, showing great humility in spite of his status.

"I'm greatly in debt."He continued, before a strong paw posed gently on his good shoulder. He raised his head, noticing that Baldur was watching him with pride.

"What we did is nothing in confront of what you did for all of us, Master Spyro." All the present soldier nodded in unison with those words. Spyro offered a small smile, before bowing again and return to his companions, which were waiting for him. Hunter knelt before him, putting his firm paw on his good shoulder.

"Trust me when I say that you honoured them in the greatest way it could be ever done."He stated, before standing up.

"I'll stay here with Master Terrador and Master Cyril, I advise you to return to the Temple. You deserve to rest."

Cynder yawned at those words, making Spyro giggle. Eventually they saluted the cheetah and took the sky, followed by Nix, Gaia and Auros.

The first two directed towards their respective homes soon after, saluting warmly their friends, and leaving the three youngsters and Sparx to their return to the great Temple.

They land in front of the door, the two guards bowed their heads at their passage opening the gate. The small group walked along the familiar corridor, before arriving in the main hall, which was now lit with several torches that circled the entire room. Soon after another familiar sound came from one of the doors that led to the Guardians chambers. The door blasted open, revealing Volteer which bore his usual electric smile plastered on his snout. He looked around himself and as soon as he fixed his gaze on the purple youngster, his grin grew even wider. In an heart-beat, he flung him self at Spyro, grabbing him in a strong embrace with both his forelimbs and wings.

"Oh Spyro, it's a so extraordinary, marvellous to see you! You don't know how much I was worried for your wellbeing, but as soon as I heard that you had been found, I almost zapped Ashen out of sheer joy."He said with his usual talkativeness, holding strongly the purple youngster. Spyro patted the yellow dragon's flank, as his wound are beginning to sting. Volteer acknowledged and immediately released the drake, giving him also the possibility to inspect his state. His mood saddened a bit upon noticing the burn marks, knowing exactly what those were for. However he quickly shoved those thoughts away. The guardian smiled at the youngsters.

"So, I bet you're really tired after your journey. I won't hold you youngsters any longer, go and have a good night of sleep."He said. The youngsters walked to the door that brought to the upper floors, before Volteer's voice called again.

"I forgot, Auros? Do you have a couple of minutes to dedicate to me?"He asked.

"Yes, Master Volteer, I'll be there in one moment." Replied the white dragon. He turned his gaze to his friends.

"Sorry guys, see you tomorrow and good night." He said, before trotting in the direction of the yellow guardian.

"Good night you too"Replied Spyro, raising a bit his voice. In the end, the remaining trio made their way to their rooms. As soon as they arrived at the right floor, Cynder coiled her tail around her partner's one, tugging him closer. Spyro nuzzled her cheek lovingly, she purred. Sparx noticed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh boy" He then zipped in front of the two youngsters.

"Let's do like this: I'll go and have a good night of rest in Spyro's room and pretend not to hear or even think about you two love-birds in the other room. If I hear something that I shouldn't, you're gonna pay the consequences, am I clear?"

Both youngsters flushed red, Instinctively Spyro held tighter Cynder's tail.

"I take this silence as a yes. I'm leaving, good night."He said, before disappearing behind Spyro's door. Without wasting any more time the other to entered Cynder's room and flung themselves on the bed, cuddling lovingly to act other. Cynder rested her head underneath Spyro's chin, which enveloped her form with his wings.

Spyro didn't know if it was the feeling of a soft bed underneath his back or the fact that he was holding the most beautiful dragoness in his arms, that made him feel so good. Love and calm coursed along his whole body, making him hold more closely his black companion.

He was finally home.


	19. Chapter 19 - Untold Past

**Hi dear readers, finally after a month I managed to public a new chapter. This time I focused more on a Auros's perspective, in order to develop his character a bit more. Hope you'll enjoy, let me know in a review or a PM. Also thank you to the new followers who joined the journey. Have a good reading.**

**-Azotac**

Auros woke up yawning, as the first lights of the sun began filtering through the closed curtains. He got up on his paws few minutes later, stretching his sore muscles and shaking off the last remains of his doziness. The white dragon then walked to the large window and pulled aside the curtains, letting the fresh morning breeze invade his chamber and then directed outside on the balcony. He sat on the white marble, gazing the sky turning from a dull violet to an intense and fiery orange, with the sun raising on the other side of the temple. Auros could still see some stars in that morning sky, but they quickly faded away as the powerful rays of a bigger star invaded that obscure dome over his head. He sighed happily, as he released all the tension accumulated during the last week away from his new home, in search of the first dragon that offered to be his friend, which is casually the same one that saved the world from total annihilation. He shoved away those thoughts, focusing again on the now raised sun, bathing his snow white scales in the warmth that it provided.

"_Better get ready to go…_"He thought soon after, turning back into his room. The youngster proceeded in tiding up a bit his bed before leaving the chamber, closing gently the door with his tail. He descended the staircase and arrived in the empty main hall, the noise of his talons clicking on the marble was echoing eerily in the great room. He didn't know why, but there was something fascinating and almost alien in seeing such a majestic place completely devoid of life, even if for a couple of hours still. He turned his gaze to the door that led to the Guardians chambers, recalling what Volteer told him the last night.

* * *

"Come in, young Auros and please close the door."Said excitedly the yellow dragon. The white youngster did as the guardian ordered, before following him in his quarters. Volteer took place behind the working table in his library and began fumbling with some ampoules filled with coloured liquids. Auros was amazed by the swiftness of the guardian and by the way he handled the fragile vials. He watched him for some time, until the elder raised the ampule in his right paw, to examine it in a better light. The dragon turned his excited gaze towards the youngster and got closer to him, posing the vial on the wooden table.

"So, I called you here for giving you a great, exquisite news!"He said excitedly.

"While you were away in the rescue mission for our dear Spyro, I spent some nights working around with some alchemy books and curative herbs."He continued. Auros watched the guardian with a confused gaze, but before he could ask anything, the elder kept on going.

"And I think I managed to create a formula that will help you mitigate you intolerance to red gems."He concluded, finally presenting the vial to the youngster. The white drake was speechless, as he turned his gaze between the smiling electricity guardian and the greenish liquid inside the ampule.

"Wow… I don't know what to say… But…"He mumbled, turning his gaze towards the guardian.

"How do you know if it will work?"He then asked.

"Well, we should try it… But not now. When we're going to begin the training again, we'll see if it can help you. It may need some refinements."Replied Volteer.

"I understand. Anyway, thank you very much Master Volteer."Said Auros, shoving away his excitement.

"You're most welcome, young one. I'm glad I could help you. I wish you a good night of rest. You earned it."Concluded the guardian.

Auros then bowed his head and turned to leave, closing the door with his tail. The young dragon walked back to his room and flopped heavily over his bed, the fatigue eventually catching on him and making him fall asleep instantly.

* * *

The youngster shook his head abruptly, leaving his state of apparent unconsciousness and returning his attention to the real world. He stood up and speeded trough the long corridor that brought to the great door.

The gate opened and he walked down the marble staircase, when his eyes fell on the dragoness that was waiting for him. Nix was sit with her snout aiming at the beautiful colours of the early morning sky, the sun reflected gently on her iridescent azure scales, making them glisten brightly. His heart began to beat faster as his vision concentrated on her form, blurring out everything else. The youngster moved closer to her, until she suddenly turned to face him. Auros was instantly mesmerised by those beautiful silver eyes that watched him with a mixture of emotions. His own light-brown ones were staring directly into them, seeing his own reflection in those perfect orbs.

"Auros?"Came her melodious voice. He returned to the real world, shaking briefly his head.

"Yes, sorry. Did I make you wait?"He asked concernedly.

"Actually no, I've been here only for few minutes."She replied smiling.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Of course"She answered, spreading her wings.

"Ladies first."Said Auros, gesturing with his now open wings. Nix giggled, then without another word, she took the sky, with him following suit. They soared silently over the awakening city, with the morning breeze gently caressing their scales. They flew together for some other minutes, until they landed swiftly over the round roof of a freshly re-built tower in the higher district of Warfang. The dark-coloured tiles were already warm by the sunlight as they sat on them. A mixed flow of emotions coursed through the white drake. He was indeed excited and happy to be there with Nix, he hardly remembered when he was that happy the last time in his relative short life. A burst of memories from his childhood passed in front of his eyes, making him realise something very important.

"Hey Nix, can I…tell you something?"He asked. She turned to face him, noticing a different kind of emotion reflected in his eyes, was it guilt?

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I realised only now that I never told you my story… I mean, I know a lot of things about you, because you told them to me, but I never told you anything about myself…About my family… And I'm sorry for that."

Nix was a little taken aback by this sudden change of heart from Auros, but she inwardly hoped that this day would come, maybe he was trusting more in their newborn relationship, or maybe he was just trusting her more as a companion.

"Hey, no harm done."She said, gently unfolding her wing on his back."It's your decision to talk about your own private matters."

"Yeah, but I feel like it isn't fair to you. It's difficult to be with someone of which you barely know anything."

"What I know about you it's more than sufficient to me. You're kind and caring and…"

"Quite handsome…"She muttered shyly. Auros remained dumbfounded from her words, he never received a compliment from someone else. He smiled kindly.

"Thank you Nix, I also think you're beautiful."Replied Auros. She flushed red, turning away her gaze from him. They stood silently for a couple of minutes, until she regained her composure.

"Anyway… I would gladly listen to your story."She said, turning his gaze to him.

"Ok, but you have to promise me, that what I'm going to tell you won't change that you think of our friends."He said, in an almost serious tone.

"O-okay."

"Thank you."

So Auros began to tell her the all that he could remember about his childhood. He told her about his family, and the mild hate that he received from the village he was born into.

Then came the night in with he lost everything, he told her about his encounter with the Terror of the Sky and how it ended for his family. At that moment he had to stop briefly to recollect his thoughts.

Nix was definitely shaken from what he told her, having also realised why he made her make that promise before. But what confused her the most was the way he talked about it. He was calm as always, he didn't shed a single tear, nor showed any sign of anger or sadness. She coiled her tail with his own, trying to offer a bit of comfort, even if she was the one in need of it right now. Eventually he continued his story, beginning from when he regained back his senses after that fateful night.

* * *

_The white hatchling coughed loudly, his chest constricted from the rubble and debris that almost buried him completely. He could see some light spiralling in from the small gaps between the stones and splinters. His coughing stopped when his dulled hearing sensed a noise coming from outside. Someone or something was getting closer. Panic took control of his scared form, he tried to shove away some debris in order to escape, but the rubble was unmovable, until that someone began to take it away quickly. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes, as he waited helplessly to be discovered and eventually killed by whoever was unburying him. Suddenly light shone brightly trough his watery eyes, making him shut them quickly. _

_"__Ancestors!"The stranger exclaimed, then in less than a second a pair of big red paws grabbed him a tore him out of the pile of rubble. He was suddenly welcomed by warm scales and then a rush of air came, as his saviour took the sky. _

_"__Captain!"Shouted the dragon, landing in the centre of the destroyed village, where his comrades stood._

_"__Corporal, what's the problem? Have found any remaining enemy?"Asked suddenly a commanding voice._

_"__No sir, but I found someone else."He said, revealing the white hatchling nested under his left foreleg._

_"__Ancestors!"Exclaimed the captain. _

_Auros then felt something smooth running down his back, as the older dragon caressed gently his scared body, in order to comfort him. A moment of silence cam after, before the deep voice of the captain returned._

_"__He must be taken immediately to the nearest settlement! He needs medical assistance."_

_"__Corporal can you take him back to Noval? It should be a couple of hours of flight from here."_

_"__Yessir!"Exclaimed the dragon holding him, before taking once again the sky. Auros could only let him self take away from exhaustion, as he fell asleep in the embrace of the dragon carrying him._

_The white hatchling woke up an indefinite amount of time later, finding himself posed on a greenish cushion in a completely stranger environment. He instantly began to panic, as he scrambled to get up on his paws, only to fall down soon after from the sudden pain. He yelped at the horrific sensation, as he began to tremble on the cushion he was on. In few moments, sounds of hurried paw-steps could be heard and in a couple of seconds a dragoness emerged from the door. Auros didn't watch her as he was too afraid even to move, as he was simply all snuggled on himself, hiding his head underneath his wings. The dragoness came closer and gently caressed the hatchling's back with the back of her paw._

_"__Hey, little one, no need to be scared, you're safe here."She said with a caring tone, as the white one squirmed under her paw. Auros stopped shivering, before carefully poking his head out from his wings' cover, his brown eyes full of tears fixed on the dragoness before him. The nameless figure smiled at him. _

_"__There you are. My name's Teal and I am a healer, what's your name, little one?"She asked softly. The white drake sniffed, before answering her question._

_"__A-Auros…"He stammered._

_"__Well, Auros, you took some nasty injuries and bruises, I came here to fix them."_

_She gently took out from a satchel some red crystals and held them in her right paw. As soon as Auros saw them, he recoiled in fear. He tried to move away, but another jolt of pain coursed trough his tiny muscles as he dropped back on the cushion._

_"__We need to fix your wounds, dear. Stay still, I'll be very quick."_

_"__No! They… Hurt me…"Murmured the hatchling. _

_Teal raised an eyebrow at his words and began to giggle._

_"__That's not possible, my dear, all dragons benefit from these gems." She gently grabbed the hatchling and pushed the red gems onto his scales. In that exact moment a burning pain came from all his bruises making him wail in agony. He loosened from her grip and stumbled away, down on the cushion and then on the floor. He covered himself again with his wings in a defensive way, crying. The healer was in total disbelief, she never saw in her whole career something like that. _

_Teal tried to got closer to him again, but as soon as she placed the next paw-step, the hatchling cuddled on himself even more._

_"__I'm sorry, little one. I should have believed your words."She said, extracting a little glass jar from her satchel. _

_"__Please, let me try to help you again. No more red gems, I promise."She concluded. Auros stopped shivering, only to turn his watery eyes to her._

_"__You promise?"_

_"__Yes"_

_The healer got closer to him, opening the small jar and dipping her digits into the green ointment it contained. She then gently applied the cream onto his bruises and cuts. Finally she covered the most serious wounds with a bandage and posed the hatchling back onto the cushion. He was visibly more relaxed and calm. He yawned a couple of times, before resting his head onto his small forepaws. She smiled at him, as she caressed gently his nape._

_"__There you are, little one. You'll see, everything's gonna be alright."Those were the last words he heard, as he drifted into sleep._

* * *

"I stayed in the infirmary for another couple of days, before they sent me to another structure within the settlement. It was some kind of orphanage but for dragons of every age ."Continued Auros, while the dragoness that was with him listened to his narration.

"I lived there until the return of Spyro and Cynder from the time crystal."He sighed.

"The life wasn't all that interesting, apart from the basic education and combat training they offered when I was a bit older. No friends, no peers. Just a bunch of dragons or survivors, who was given a second chance to live away from the raging war. The only day I really remember was when the former Fire Guardian, Ignitus, came into the village to spread the news about the return of the Purple Dragon, just a couple of days after the Eternal Night…"He paused.

"I was in awe in seeing on of the most powerful dragons in the world standing in tall in front of all of us, narrating the adventures of Spyro."

"But then he spoke about Cynder… I remember that just in hearing her name, my blood ran cold."

"He began to talk about what happened to her, how she was in control of the Dark Master and how Spyro freed her from corruption…"

He then giggled.

"I didn't have the time to feel anger that a sense of pity and compassion washed over me…I…I realised that she was just like me. A poor youngling whose childhood was stripped away by some kind of evil and dark monster."Continued the white dragon.

"Anyway, after that day the life remained pretty much the same…Until the war eventually came at our doorstep, a day before the supposed end of the world, the dark army invaded Noval and razed it to the ground."He sighed.

"The guards obliged me to flee and go to Warfang were I should have been safe, while they kept fighting the enemy…"

"In the end I flew as fast as I could towards here, but then the world began to shatter…"He stopped, moving his gaze towards the dragoness.

"I think you know the rest. I'll stop boring you."He concluded with a tired smile. Nix stood silent for some seconds, trying to process all that he told her about him. She really didn't expect him to tell the whole story of his life, but in the end she wasn't all that bored. In fact she proved pity for him, being stripped away by his family in so young age and completely catapulted in a foreign environment. What most struck her, tough, was his acceptance of the one who murdered his family. She really couldn't figure out how it was possible to him to simply forgive something like that and also being able to live in close contact with the one who ruined his life.

"I admire you, Auros."She finally said, a bit shyly. He replied with a confused gaze.

"I mean… You're the nicest dragon I've ever met. I really admire you for what you are now despite the life you had."She said. The white dragon smiled fondly at her.

"Well, I consider myself very lucky. One of our friends didn't have the same fortune as me."He said, with a bit of sadness. Nix recognised almost instantly of who he was talking about.

"She had the legendary Purple Dragon by her side, tough."

"And I've the help of my new friends and most importantly I have you now."He replied, unfurling his wing over her, dragging her form closer to him. She let herself take in his protective and affectionate draconic hug, before turning her silver eyes towards his slightly higher light brown ones. He had his usual smile plastered on his snout, bathing her with his calm and happiness. He then gently pressed his snout onto hers. She was a little taken aback by his action, but quickly shoved her feelings away and replied the affection. They stood like that for quite sometime until he spoke again.

"Thank you for listening to me today."He said lovingly. She was about to reply, when her eyes caught a movement in the distance. Auros noticed it too and turned his gaze towards the same direction. His orbs caught some figures in the distance, flying closer to the walls. He returned his attention to the dragoness beside him.

"Maybe they're some new refugees… Wanna go see them?"He asked. She didn't want really to ruin their intimacy, but in seeing the glint in his eyes she couldn't refuse.

"Ok, lead the way."She answered. He grinned even wider, before taking the air in the direction of the new dragons.

The couple landed soon after on the stone platform behind the western wall. Before them there were at least thirty new dragons all in awe in seeing the great dragon city, probably for the first time. One guard took off southward, while the others followed captain Baldur. Nix was happy to see more new dragons to return to the capital, but her happiness faded once she turned her attention to Auros. His usual smile had vanished, replaced by a sudden coldness, as his gaze was fixed on a particular dragon in the group which was flying away.

"Hey, what's the problem?"She asked, clearly worried. He didn't answer instantly.

"Remember when I told you before about the elders in my village?"He sighed. She only nodded.

"Well, that dragon is one of them."He said pointing his wings towards a pale blue elder.

* * *

_Auros was watching terrified his father while he discussed with two other familiar dragons. He was peeking from the barely open door that led to the bed chamber, almost completely obscured by darkness._

_"__GO AWAY FROM MY HOME!" Shouted the blue and gold dragon to the ones in front of them, a cold icy mist streaming from his nostrils._

_"__Kelno, you're only delaying the inevitable."Spoke the first._

_"__The hatchling is a disgrace to your blood and to our village. We're doing you a favour."Added the second. In that moment the blue dragon roared ferociously._

_"__Dare to threaten again my son and I will personally hunt you down."He snarled. The other two in seeing no possibility to reason with the dragon, turned and left for the door, under Kelno's icy stare. Once the door shut, he relaxed his muscles and sighed heavily._

_"__Auros, you can come out."Announced the dragon. The white hatchling did as he commanded, walking towards him. He aimed his snout to his father's face._

_"__Dad, what have I done to make them angry?" The older dragon gently wrapped his son under his blue wings._

_"__Nothing, my dear. They're angry because you're special. But don't worry, mom and dad will be always here for you…"_

And with those last words in mind, Auros watched the dragons disappear behind the buildings of the great city.

* * *

Cynder woke up still embraced in her lover's arms. She was all snuggled under his chin, gently posed on his rising chest. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before revealing the two precious gems that were hidden under them. She slightly raised her head from his body in order to admire him. Few words could describe how happy she was to be back home with him mostly safe and sound. The whole kidnapping thing made her realise how much she needs him in her life, how lost she feels without him, without his unconditioned love that tore her away from darkness.A wild yawn broke her staring. She then turned her snout towards Spyro's neck, nuzzling him gently. He groaned softly before waking up too soon after. His eyelids revealed the amethyst orbs that swiftly turned to stare at her emeralds ones.

"Good morning"She said, nuzzling his snout.

"Good morning you too. How are you feeling?"He asked. She giggled at his question, loving the fact that he always thought about her before himself.

"I'm feeling great, what about you? You're the one injured here."She replied smiling.

"The scars do itch sometimes but for the rest I'm good."He then pushed forward to meet her snout.

"As long as I'm with you."She giggled as she replied the cuddle. In that exact moment her stomach burped, signalling the fact that she was hungry. Spyro bursted out laughing but soon his laugh turned into a cough and Cynder's annoyed look tinged with concern. She caressed his left shoulder while his burst died down, leaving him slightly panting.

"Are you sure that you're ok?"She asked, clearly concerned.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine."He said, with his grin returning on his face. He wasn't really sure of his answer, because the cough left a weird feeling in him, but in seeing the concern in his black dragoness's eyes, he quickly shoved that sensation away.

He then moved his paw to her belly, caressing it.

"You don't want to keep your stomach waiting, do you?"He said, mischievously. She gently punched him on his foreleg, before getting up from the bed, her partner following suit. They took the sky from the balcony, directing towards the Great Hall to have their breakfast. In few minutes they landed in front of the magnificent building and to their great surprise they found a group of unfamiliar dragons entering the structure, guided by some guards. Some of them noticed their presence and began murmuring with their companion, shooting dumbfounded glances to him and some glares to her.

"Spyro, Cynder"Called a familiar voice. In seconds a couple of familiar young dragons landed beside them.

"Hi Auros, hi Nix."Said the purple dragon. The white dragon got closer to him, inspecting his body.

"How are you feeling?"He asked preoccupied.

"Better Auros, no need to worry. Soon I'll be back in full strength." He reassured. The white youngster returned to his previous position to Nix's side before smiling back to his violet friend.

"It's good to hear it."He then turned his gaze towards the great building.

"Wanna go to eat?"

"Sure, I'm starving."Admitted Cynder, taking the lead towards the entrance. The other couple followed them. Nix raised her head to speak to Auros.

"Are you sure you want to go in there? I mean what if you encounter that dragon?"She asked with worry.

"I'm sure he won't even recognise me."He reassured.

"_And it is better that this be so_"He thought, moving towards the entrance.

They managed to elude the mass of dragons that was beginning to form inside the hall and surprisingly they found Gaia already eating her breakfast.

They sat all together and began to chat as their usual, trying to dodge as much as they could talking about the events of the last week or so. It was an attempt to return to normality and maybe help Spyro to forget about his…experience. Cynder was sure that, even if he didn't display it, what happened left a great mark on him, both physically and metaphorically. As the minutes went by, they kept on talking, soon the moles brought them their food and before they noticed it, they already had cleaned their plate. After finishing their meal, they continued chatting and laughing together. They were so taken by their conversation that they didn't noticed the approach of an unfamiliar ice dragon to their table.

"Purple dragon?"He spoke with a cold voice. Spyro turned upon hearing his call. As soon as the youngster posed his gaze on him, the elder he bowed his head. The violet youngster studied for a moment the drake in front of him. He had a dull blue set of scales, dotted with frills that seemed to be little ice shard poking out from his skin. Those frills ran up from his shoulders to the base of his six silver horns, which bore the same colour as his underbelly and chest.

"No need to do this, please keep your head up."He said concerned. The ice one did as he said, his cold eyes never leaving the violet dragon.

"It's an honour to meet you, Mighty One."

"Also, no need to call me like that, Spyro it's enough."

"As you wish, Spyro. It's also an honour and a grace to meet your friends." He turned his gaze to meet the eyes of the other youngsters. He scanned them on by one. Surprisingly he only glared briefly at Cynder. However as soon as his orbs dropped on Auros, his eyelids suddenly narrowed.

The white one maintained his calm look, not replying the glare. He noticed a glint of realisation in his pupils, something that he hoped not to see that day.

"You…"Said the ice dragon, his voice cold like the permafrost of Dante's freezer. He moved his gaze back to Spyro.

"Master Spyro, may I ask you why do you spend you precious time with scum like him?"He said inquisitively.

"Sorry, what?!"Asked in disbelief the purple dragon. The ice dragon didn't bother to answer and turned to Nix.

"Also you, young lady, a pure-bred ice dragon like you should have nothing to do with degenerated impurities like the one sitting next to you."He spat, while the dragoness huddled behind Auros's wing. His cold eyes returned to the white dragon, which bore the same unfazed gaze as before.

"You are a disgrace to our blood, you deserve nothing more than my spit."He did as he said, spitting a small globule of ice that landed on the wooden table in front of him, freezing at the contact with the surface. Spyro was about to speak back in defence of his friend, when the young dragon stood up and moved in front of the elder, gazing him with the same expression, drilling his eyes with his owns. Both went silent few seconds until he spoke.

"Are you done with this bullshit?"He asked flatly.

"What? How you dare-"

"How **you **dare to speak like that in presence of the great Heroes of the realms. You can insult me as much as you want, but do not minimally think I'll let you harass my friends with you stupid royal-blood wyvern-shit." He replied, raising a bit the tone of his voice. He then noticed that the elder was raising his paw, clearly in order to strike him.  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You're a full-of-yourself piece of garbage, but you're not stupid. You wouldn't dare to attack a young dragon in front of the Saviours and other Warfang citizens, would you?"Added the white dragon, almost mockingly. The elder snarled ferociously, his eyes bouncing between the other youngsters, the crowd and the white dragon in front of him. Auros could tell that he stroke directly with his words, as the ice one puffed viciously a cloud of icy mist before turning and leaving the great hall.

Auros waited until he disappeared before dropping his stance and releasing the tension. He returned to seat next to Nix, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry for this display, I shouldn't-"He was interrupted by Gaia.

"That was awesome!"She beamed."You literally destroyed him!"

"But-"

"Yeah that was really cool! I thought he would melt in any second seeing his anger."Laughed Cynder.

"How did you manage to not jump on him? I would have shredded him into pieces if I had been you."She continued.

"You should be prou-"Spyro tried to compliment with his friend, before a series of violent coughs came from his lungs, making everybody interrupt their cheers and turn a worried gaze over him.

Cynder instantly flung to his side, with a paw over his back. The burst didn't stop, letting him barely any time to breathe in. Small tendrils of jolting electricity and green earth energy began to form around his muzzle, as the coughs continued.

"We must bring him to the infirmary!"Shouted Cynder. Instantly Auros reached for him, taking his friend on his back as the whole group flung out with an incredible speed from the great hall.

* * *

**P.S.**

**I'm also happy to announce that I finished the timeline for this story and I also figured out a probable sequel. It will take time, but I will eventually make real my idea. Stay tuned and check my profile for updates! See you next time!**

**-Azotac**


	20. Chapter 20 - Heart of an Hero

**Hi dear readers, here we have a new chapter. It was planned to be a bit longer but in the end I decided to cut the last part, in order to use it for the next chapter. I want also thank all the new followers and the reviewers who left their opinion on this story. Hope you will enjoy this new chapter. Also this could be the last publication for a little while. I plan to resume fully by the end of February. **

**-Azotac**

After a couple of minutes the group of youngsters landed in front of the infirmary building, bursting the door open.

"HELP!"Screamed Cynder, her voice raising over the loud sounds of her partner. Seconds later a bunch of moles showed up with a stretcher, with Aramis following them suit. The moles took Spyro and ran along the corridor, disappearing behind a turn.

"You young ones stay here, I'll come back as soon as we discover what's the problem."Said Aramis in a commanding tone, not leaving space for any kind of 'but',then she walked away in the same direction which the moles went.

Cynder dropped down her shoulder, sighing heavily. It was evident that there were a lot of things going on in her mind in that moment. The primary one being the huge worry for her purple lover. She thought of what happened that morning, when he also had something similar, and how he quickly dismissed that as nothing.

"_Just how many things does he hide to protect me?_"She thought all of a sudden.

Auros observed the dragoness beside him. He proved pity for her, trying to imagine how it's like to see the only one you love suffer in that way. He wanted to do something to at least comfort her, but remembering what happened in those caves during the rescue mission, he decided to just talk to her. The last thing he wanted to do was make his friend even more uncomfortable.

"Hey Cynder"Called Auros. The dragoness turned to face him. He wore the usual reassuring smile. She noticed that also this time he refrained to touch her to get her attention, actually he didn't get closer to her at all.

"_Great job Cynder, now he fears you!_"She thought sadly.

"I'm sure he's going to be fine. He's the purple dragon after all…"He continued, trying to be as much as comforting as possible while keeping the distance. She stood silent for few moments before sighing heavily again.

"Yeah…"

"_I'm not that sure anymore_"

Time crawled slowly until Aramis returned to the foyer of the infirmary, startling a bit the young dragons.

"How is he?"Asked with worry the black dragoness.

"Sore throat apart, he's mostly good. If you want we can go to his room, so I can explain what I think it happened."Answered the medic. The youngsters nodded before following the grey dragoness down the corridor. They entered the room in which Spyro was brought. He was sitting on a cushion, with a mole handling him some green crystals while he held in his paws a bowl filled with water and a couple of green leaves. The purple dragon offered a great smile once he saw his friends coming for him. Cynder got instantly closer to him, nuzzling his cheek.

"How are you?"

"A lot better."He reassured, replying her touch. He then turned his gaze towards the medic."This thing you gave me it's amazing. My throat is not burning anymore!"He said.

"It was just a bit of cold water with mint leaves."She replied smiling. The dragoness then circled around the other youngsters, gesturing them to take a seat. Once they were all on their haunches, she addressed them.

"So, I think that what happened to Spyro is the phenomenon called 'magic surge'".She began. The dragons watched her with confusion.

"It's an event that occurs when the magical energies of a dragon began to naturally reform in its own body, generally after depleting in extensive ways their own reserves."

"In most subjects it consist in a sudden dizziness and eventual muscular pain, caused by the energy returning in the body. Many dragons have experienced this during the war in returning from their worst battles."Aramis then turned to face Spyro.

"Giving what…happened to you and knowing that you're a purple dragon, which implies that you have far greater magic than any dragon walking on this earth, it's only logical that this event manifests it self in a far stronger way."

"Anyway you should be fine, just rest as much as you can and absorb gradually a couple of green crystals per day. You'll be good in no time."She said smiling at the youngster."Of course do not exaggerate or it may backfire"Concluded the medic. Cynder exhaled heavily, as a big boulder was lifted from her shoulder. In fact knowing that Spyro was going to recuperate his magic gave a big push in her mood. She again nuzzled him gently, with Spyro replying the cuddle moments later.

"Off you go young ones, go outside and enjoy the day. I hope not to see you here in a long time."She said smiling, while the youngsters left for the door. The grey dragoness sighed before leaving the room to direct in an another part of the infirmary. She entered another hall, where she found Argentia talking with a some nurses.

"Argentia!"Called Aramis. The silvery dragoness threw her head up, in the direction of the noise. Upon spotting the grey dragoness, she excused with the nurses and trotted towards her boss.

"Aramis, how can I help you?"

"I need to speak with the Guardians, while I'm away you're in charge, as always."She said. Argentia bowed her head, before returning to her duties. Aramis smiled at herself, before trotting down the main corridor and taking off to the Temple, leaving the white building behind. She soared quickly over the city which was calm as usual. She noticed a red dragon standing in front of Ignitus's memorial, but she quickly turned her attention to the building in front of her. Soon after she landed in front of the great wooden door that served as entrance for the Temple. The two guards bowed their heads, before letting the dragoness in. She speeded down the lustrous corridor and into the circular main hall, finding it completely empty. Raising an eyebrow, she turned to go into the guardian chambers when the door opened, revealing Terrador behind it.

"Ah, Aramis. It's a pleasure to see you again. I heard that Spyro was carried to the infirmary not too much time ago, is he fine?"Asked concernedly the earth guardian.

"Yes he will be fine… Actually I came here to talk with you about his health."She spoke with a mild preoccupied tone. Terrador raised a brow, but let the dragoness continue.

"I want to warn that even if he's steadily recovering, it doesn't mean that he's completely out of danger. He absorbed too much red gems for a dragon of his age, in a really short amount of time. I don't blame your team and my assistant for choosing to do so, because Spyro probably wouldn't be here with us if you decided otherwise."Her eyes fixed on the drake before her.

"Still, this create a new risk for him. I assume you know what happens when a dragon's body takes too much of those crystals."She asked inquisitively.

"Heart failure…"Mumbled the guardian, dropping his head. Aramis nodded, before continuing.

"Precisely and since the Spyro's poor heart already stopped once, we can't let it happened again. Of course the chances are not high, but they still pose a threat, so I advise you to keep him form absorbing red gems for at least two weeks, unless in extreme cases. Green gems are fine, since it will help his magical recovery."Concluded Aramis.

"This will make us postponing our training schedule, but it's the minimum we can do for him."Replied Terrador.

"I also advise that you keep him from knowing about this situation, he shouldn't have any more worries on his head other than recovering and resting. Maybe informing Cynder about this could be useful, since she's the one who spends almost all of her time with the purple dragon."She concluded.

"Very well, thank you Aramis for your advices, I'll do as you suggested and inform my colleagues about this development. You're free to go."

"I'm just doing my job, have nice day Master Terrador."She said bowing her head. Once Terrador heard the noise of the closing doors, he sighed and disappeared behind the door he came from.

He walked along the corridor the led to the Guardian Chambers, finding both Volteer and Cyril where he left them before. They gazed at him, noticing his sudden low morale.

"What happened Terrador?"Asked Cyril inquisitively. Terrador sighed again, turning his gaze towards them.

"Aramis came to refer that Spyro left the infirmary few minutes ago and he's steadily recovering."

"That's an astounding, magnificent news my friend, so why are you so saddened, there's something more we should know?"

"Aramis also said that he absorbed too much red gems for a dragon of his age, you know the probable consequences."He stated sadly. The other Guardians saddened.

"She said that two weeks should be fine for him to recover, in that time I think we should put extra attention on him, we can't let him get harmed."

His colleagues nodded in accordance.

"Well, now that this matter is sorted out, shall we discuss about the report from our scouts?"Asked Cyril.

"Indeed. The outcome was quite curious I should say, it seems that whatever grublin was in the zone of the eastern mountains has just disappeared into nothing, leaving no trace at all."Spoke Volteer.

"Well, I take this as a really good news. After what they've done to our Spyro, it servers them right. I would have personally hunted them down 'till the last one…"Said Cyril.

"I just hope that they really all died and not retreated to plan another attack…"Said Terrador with a concerned voice.

* * *

"Bye guys see you later at the Temple!"Said Auros before taking flight in the direction of the great building, leaving behind his black and purple friends. Cynder watched him disappear behind a tower before returning his gaze towards Spyro.

"You're sure you want to go by paws?"She asked concernedly.

"Yeah, don't worry. I just want to make sure that my right shoulder here doesn't bug me anymore."He said, gesturing with his left forepaw the scar on his purple scales.

"Fine, we should head on then, it takes a bit of time to get to the Temple from here."She said. He smiled, nuzzling her cheek, before beginning his walk along Warfang's streets. She followed him soon after, staying by his side. Their journey was rather pleasant and Spyro fortunately only showed a slightly visible limp, nothing more.

They met some citizens along their way, but they only stopped to say hi or giving best wishes for a fast recovery upon seeing his state. In fact voices of what happened to him had already spread in the city. Spyro as always replied politely and tried at his best to end the conversations and walk away from the crowds. Eventually they reached their destination and upon entering the courtyard of the Temple, they noticed the presence of a red dragoness before Ignitus's memorial. They silently got closer to the altar. Spyro didn't want to disturb the dragoness, thinking she was praying, so he focused on the construction before him, noticing that many candles were lit over the table of the altar. He walked up the steps, sitting to a comfortable distance from the dragoness, which seemed not to notice his presence. He continued to inspect the memorial, curios about the presence of the candles that clearly weren't there the week before. He noticed that some of them were of an intense purple wax, while others were just normal candles with a small piece of scroll fixed underneath it. He read one of them and find out that there was his name written on it.

The realisation struck him like a lightning.

Those candles were for him. Before he could think about anything else the dragoness beside him sighed, breaking his train of thoughts. The dragoness turned to leave, before locking her eyes onto the purple youngster few steps from her. Her sad eyes widened, before her head dropped in a bow.

"Master Spyro, it's an honour to meet you."She said with a subdued tone. Spyro stood up, facing the dragoness.

"Please don't call me like that, Spyro is enough."He said smiling. The red one raised her head, while his eyes drifted towards her side, where there was a red candle burning brightly in between the purple and white ones. Curios about that, he returned to face the dragoness and realisation hit him back again like a direct punch in the face. She looked oddly familiar, similar to…

"_Dareon…_"His head dropped in sadness, upon noticing a glint of pain in her eyes. He stood silent for several moments. Countless emotions were running in him, while his mind tried to figure out how to talk to her.

"I'm sorry…"He muttered in the end, his voice barely a whisper. She clearly understood to what he was referring to.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Mast-, I mean, Spyro."She answered

"But-"

"My brother was honoured to be chosen for you rescue. He knew about the risks and took them without hesitation."She paused, her eyes fixed on the purple youngster before her.

"It's not your fault what happened to him and it's not my will to pile his death on your shoulders. All I can ask you is to remember him."She concluded. Spyro stood silent for several moments, gazing intently the marble of the altar.

"I will, miss..."

"Fiamma"

"You have my word, Miss Fiamma."He said raising his head.

"Thank you Spyro"Said the dragoness, with a smile forming on her muzzle. Her gaze then drifted towards the black dragoness and back to him again.

"I'll leave you two now, I hope you'll have fast recovery."She said bowing her head.

"Thank you"Answered Spyro. Soon after the fire dragoness took flight and disappeared behind the city's buildings.

Cynder walked beside him and nuzzled his cheek. He replied gently the gesture.

"C'mon lets get to your room, you have to rest."She said with caring voice. Spyro nodded and without another word they took flight towards the Temple, their legs too tired to walk on the stairs.

The young couple landed on the purple dragon's balcony and entered the room. The bed was still ruffled as the various coloured cushions were spread all over the place. Cynder watched closely as her partner walked towards the bed and settled between two pillows. She kept on studying him and noticed that his condition wasn't surely helped by the unclean state he was in. Even if the medics had cleaned him a bit before treating his wounds, several dried blood crusts could still be seen on his scales as well as some spots of brown earth. An idea jumped in her head, as she got closer to him.

"Spyro get up."She said in an almost commanding tone. He opened his eyelids and turned to her with a quizzical look. She smiled and prodded him with her muzzle.

"C'mon get up."

"Why?"

"'Cause you're dirty and I don't want you to look like that. I'm gonna take you a bath. No discussion."She affirmed narrowing her eyes. Spyro knew that when she talked like that, no arguing could be made, so he sighed and stood up.

"Good boy."She said, wrapping gently her tail around his neck and dragging him in his bathroom.

She again prodded him in the large bathtub and opened the water tap, letting a stream of hot water run into the marble tub. Spyro yelped for the sudden sensation but gradually relaxed. Cynder then grabbed a brush that laid on a little shelf near the tap and hopped inside the tub with him. Spyro eyed warily the tool she had in her paws, as she fixed it on her right forepaw with a leather strap. He also questioned himself on how he didn't notice the presence of that thing before in his bathroom. She returned her gaze on him, studying his body and trying to find a spot to begin with.

"Gimme your left paw."She said and he did as Cynder commanded. She grabbed his appendage and began scrubbing it with the brush, removing all the dirt that was encrusted between his claws and under his paws. She did the same with the other one and then she got closer to him, beginning to clean his upper chest, paying attention not to push too heavily on his scars. The purple dragon watched her work cautiously around his wounds, cleaning away the last remains of dried blood. Usually he did feel a bit awkward by getting washed like that, but as long as it was Cynder doing it, he would not complain. In fact he was quite enjoying it. The dragoness gradually descended on his flanks and then to his underbelly. Cynder stopped just before reaching the lower part, trying no to make him too much uncomfortable. She raised her head and watched him, noticing a small blush on his face. She grinned playfully, before licking affectionately his cheek.

"Turn around."She said.

She began to work on his back and tail, so after several minutes she finished her job. She then focused lastly on his horns and nape-frills, which took just few moments of attention to make them return to their original shine. Pleased by her work, she finally unstrapped the brush a threw it away, before grabbing Spyro with her forearms and dragging him closer to her. She felt him a little stiff and not completely relaxed, so she decided to get a little bit more passionate in her work.

She began nuzzling his neck in a sensual way, while massaging his chest with her paws. The purple dragon whimpered in what seemed to be pleasure, throwing his head back and resting it on her left shoulder, exposing completely his throat to her.

She didn't let that invitation go to waste. The dragoness began to nibble with passion his exposed neck, while keeping massaging him with her paws. She slowly descended from under his jaw to where his shoulder began and by the way her lover was reacting, she could tell that he was enjoying every second of it. In fact Spyro was in pure ecstasy.

The feeling of her warm breath over his scales and the gentle yet strong sensation of her kisses were something that he never experienced before, making him completely melt in her love and every muscle completely loosen under her moaned in pleasure, letting know that he was enjoying her attentions. In hearing those sounds she only increased her commitment in making feel as good as she could. She kept on going with her work for quite sometime, until the purple dragon fell asleep in her embrace, lulled by her caresses.  
Eventually the dragoness posed her head onto the border of the tub and closed her eyes. Her mind focused on all the recent events and realised, again, how she was so close to lose her beloved Spyro for good. Grief instantly took her as her thoughts flew to what happened just few nights before.

"_What would I've done if I lost him?_"The question came in her head like an explosion, unsetting every good thought. She didn't really have to think about an answer. She would certainly die of sorrow. In fact Spyro was probably the only one who deeply cared for her, the only one that stood beside her no matter what, the only one who had ever loved her.

"_How could I live without him?_". She thought again, but soon after she realised how selfish were all of those questions and thoughts. Cynder suddenly felt disgusted about herself and of her putting her own feelings before her partner, when Spyro had always placed her before everything else in his life. Her eyes fluttered and then opened, revealing again her precious emerald eyes to the world. Her gaze turned to the purple figure in her arms, a smile tinged her face.

"_As long as he's here, I've nothing to worry about…_"She said in her head. Eventually she began to caress him again, as the warm water continued to flow.

* * *

_An hour later_

After getting dried, Spyro decided to rest a bit again before the evening. He walked over his bed and curled around a couple of cushions, resting his head on a red one and soon after closing his eyes. Cynder understood with sympathy why he did feel so drained and tired after what he had to endure during his imprisonment. She also felt a bit proud of herself, in having been an helping paw in making him feel good and relaxed after all that happened. Cynder then followed him on his bed, laying to his side, draping a wing over him and finally resting her head on his neck with her hear-hole to his scales, in order to feel the precious pulse of his heart. It was a beautiful sound that always calmed her and knowing that that same heart was beating for her and her only was something that sometimes seemed too good to be true. She was beginning to drift in her slumber when a knock came on the door. She snorted and raised her head, checking if Spyro had awakened. She giggled when she heard a light snore coming from his maw. Cynder then stood up and sped over the door before whoever was behind it tried to knock again. Once opened, it revealed Terrador standing in the corridor, he gazed at the dragoness with a mild surprised expression.

"Cynder, am I disturbing?"He asked.

"Of course no, Spyro is just resting as Aramis told him." She answered.

"Good…I came here to talk with you…"He spoke. She nodded and gently closed the door behind her back. She returned her gaze to the earth elder.

"So what did you need to tell me?"She asked intrigued.

"Well it's about Spyro…"

Terrador told her what Aramis had referred some time before and the precautions that she suggested. Cynder remained a bit dumbstruck in learning of Spyro's condition. Actually now she felt a bit guilty, as she was the one who gave her the most of the red gems. In seeing this Terrador placed his strong paw over her shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Don't worry too much, Cynder. All we need to do is make sure he stays away from danger and that he rests as much as he can. Then once he's back in full strength we can all return to our normal life."Said the Guardian in a comforting tone. The dragoness before him remained silent for a couple of seconds, before nodding in acceptance.

"Ok, thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome, young dragoness. I'll let you rest now."Said the guardian turning to the stairs. Cynder returned into Spyro's room and laid beside him in the same position as before. Soon she drifted into a light slumber.

* * *

_A week later…_

A beautiful evening came over the dragon realms, bathing the lands first with a golden-orange hue of the sunset and then with the soft brightness of the two moons. A lone dragon was flying in the direction of the great dragon city. His bluish almost grey scales didn't easily give away is wind element that sustained him during his journey. He was flying as fast as he could in order to deliver his message as soon as possible. He did leave from the safety of his settlement almost five days before and he flew almost non-stop since then.

After several hours of flight he managed to arrive in range to be spotted from the guards patrolling the wall. The soldiers noticed that he was a dragon, so he managed to land safely behind the ramparts over one of the numerous platforms, but before he could recuperate his bearings, a group of dragon guards reached him.

"Who are you?"They asked in a serious tone. The messenger panted for a couple of seconds before raising his head and adjusting his posture.

"My name is Cirrus and I've a message for the Guardians and the Mighty Purple Dragon."He stated, bowing his head. The two guards stared at each other and then at the dragon.

"Very, well. We'll see if the guardians are still up, if not we'll arrange you for the night and you will be received tomorrow morning."Stated one of the duo.

"Follows us"Said the other, taking flight southward. The messenger followed closely the soldiers, which directed towards the great Temple and after few minutes they all landed in front of the great door. The guards saluted with their right wing their brethren standing in front of the gate and then directed inside the building.

Cirrus was simply astonished by the magnificence of the place, his eyes darted in every directions to catch as much details as possible, even if the darkness was invading the great corridor. The guards escorted the wind drake in the main hall, in which the guardians were still present. They noticed the guards and took their places in front of them. The foreigner trio bowed to the elders, which replied with their own bow.

"My Guardians, this dragon named Cirrus has a message for you and the Purple Dragon."Stated a soldier. The elders' gaze turned to focus on the newcomer.

"Very well, tell what you need to tell us and then we'll call it for tonight."Said Terrador. The dragon walked before the guardians and bowed again.

"Mighty Guardians, I was sent from my elders to re-establish the connection between our settlement and the capital. With this occasion I also came to offer an invitation to the Purple Dragon and whoever he wish to bring with him, to come in our city and to receive formal thanks in behalf of our population."Concluded the drake. The guardians shared an interested gaze.

"I'm sorry, but the Purple Dragon won't be able to leave the city for at least a week."Said the Earth Guardian, earning a sad gaze from the wind dragon.

"May I ask why?"

"He's recovering from several injuries… Anyway we could gladly host you here at the Temple for the time being, so you'll have plenty of time to talk to us about your settlement."Proposed Cyril.

"I understand, but I have to decline. I must report back to my elders."

"We could arrange with Hunter to send a falcon to your settlement to inform them about the situation."Offered Terrador, gazing to his colleagues.

"What a nice and functional idea, Terrador!"Said Volteer. Their gaze turned to the messenger.

"Do you think it's a suitable solution?"

"Well, it should be ok."Replied the wind dragon.

"Very good."Terrador then turned to the guards.

"You're dismissed, thank you."He said. The soldiers saluted and then left.

"Come with me, Cirrus, I'll show your room for the time being."Said the earth guardian, gesturing with his wing.

They walked trough the door that led to the eastern wing of the building. Terrador stopped by a door in a corridor on the ground floor and opened it. It was a room similar to the one were Auros was living.

"Here your are, I hope you'll be comfortable enough. Rest and we will receive you again tomorrow morning to arrange the message with our friend."

"Thank you Master Terrador."

"You're welcome"Said the elder, leaving the drake alone. He moved just few steps in the room before the fatigue of his journey took his toll and made him fall asleep over the cushions of his new bed.


	21. Chapter 21 - Seascale

**Hi everyone, finally I managed to publish this new chapter. As always I hope you'll enjoy it.**

**-Azotac**

The next morning a mole came to wake the wind drake in order to meet the guardians as they planned the evening before. He was brought back to the main hall where there were Volteer, Cyril and a cheetah with a great falcon perched on his right shoulder, waiting for him. They briefly introduced and Cirrus began to tell about the settlement he came from. He told them that his city was called Seascale, as it was actually situated inside a spent volcano, on a island less than two kilometres from the coast and its because of this that the settlement remained practically inviolated by the war since the first group of refugees discovered it thirty or so years before. The others were fascinated by the description of the messenger, marvelling the strong will of those dragons that founded the city. This renewed the will of the guardians to reconnect with their lost brethren, but before they could begin to write the letter, the third elder joined them.

"Spyro will come, with other five dragons. We fixed the departure date in seven days."Announced Terrador. Cirrus nodded to the Guardian.

Eventually, in less than an hour, they managed to write the message and send it towards its destination.

As the wind dragon watched the falcon move away in the clouds, he turned towards the cheetah with an inquisitive gaze.

"You're sure he's going to find the right way?"He asked.

"My falcons have a great eye when it's about dragons. I trained them to look for the ones of your race when the guardians hired me to look for the purple dragon. If the direction is correct he won't miss your settlement."Assured Hunter proudly.

"Wow…"Stated Cirrus, dumbfounded.

_Almost two hours earlier…_

Terrador was walking along Spyro and Cynder's corridor when he stopped in front of the two doors. He leaned towards Spyro's and giggled as he heard a light snore then knocked at the door and sat on his haunches waiting for him to open.

A minute later the door opened, revealing the purple dragon with beady eyes. Terrador smiled at the youngster, which fortunately was getting better by the day. The green gems were helping significantly his magical recovery, as he now was able to expel all of his elements even if not a his former power. Terrador knew that it will took him some other time in order to be back in full strength, yet he was very confident and his steady and fast recovery was an excellent signal. This was also one of the main reasons that made him decide to let the young dragon face this new journey he was about to propose him.

"Good morning young dragon, how are you feeling?"Asked the earth elder.

"A bit sleepy, but apart that mostly good."Answered Spyro before yawning.

"Very well, I came to talk with both you and Cynder about a proposal. Should we wake her too?"He asked.

"No need to." Came a feminine voice from the same room. Few seconds later Cynder joined Spyro's side at the door. Terrador smiled at the couple.

"Good morning Cynder. So as I was telling Spyro, I came here with a proposal for you two."He began.

"Yesterday a messenger came from a new settlement and its elders invited you, Spyro, and whoever you wish to bring, to visit the city."He continued.

"Of course if you don't want to go, we will send send our-"

"When do we leave?"Interrupted Spyro. Terrador watched him a bit stunned.

"Well, the suitable date would be in seven days or so, since you still need to completely recover." Spyro tried to argue, but then stopped and nodded in acceptance. He then turned to Cynder.

"We should ask to our friends if they would like to come."He proposed.

"If you want, I can send a couple of guards to inform them."Offered Terrador.

"That would be great."Replied Cynder.

"Now I only need to tell about this to-"The purple dragon was interrupted by a familiar voice shouting from Cynder's room.

"What the heck is going on here?"Asked Sparx, clearly irritated.

"Can't you dragons go away and talk about your boring things away from this corridor?"

Spyro giggled, knowing how his brother was like if weaken badly, while Terrador narrowed his eyes at the annoying insect.

"Hey Sparx, next week we are leaving to a new dragon city. Wanna come with us?"Proposed the purple dragon. Sparx stood deadly silent for a couple of seconds.

"Man, I don't even know what I'm gonna do today…"He said by circling around his brother's head.

"Anyway I'm in."He stated, finally dropping on one of his horns.

"Very well, we will inform your friends as soon as possible. I also suggest that you get accompanied by one of us guardians, in case the new city's elders would like to deal with the political side of the meeting."

"That's ok, who of you will be coming with us?"Asked curiously Spyro.

"Well…"

_One week later…_

"This is stupendous, incredible, utterly amazing!" Exclaimed Volteer with his usual chatty voice as he walked back and forth the square before the temple. With him there were Spyro, Cynder and their three friends, along with Sparx and Cirrus whose eyes were bouncing between the yellow guardian and the violet youngster sitting few metres in front of him. Finally the wind dragon fixed his gaze on Spyro, studying his figure, since it was the very first time that he saw him. He had to admit that he remained a little disappointed. He always heard stories about the mightiness of the purple ones, the most rare and powerful species of their kind. Yet the dragon before him was barely half his size and didn't seemed all that powerful as he was told. Upon fine inspection he noticed the presence of several jagged scars running across his chest, partially covered by the straps of the provision bag he was carrying.

"_Those should be the injuries that Master Terrador spoke about the last week._"He said losing himself in his thoughts. He pitied the young dragon, sure that whatever caused those marks, caused also great pain. In addition now he felt angry at himself, for thinking low of the hero who has saved all the planet. The fact that he recovered from those injuries demonstrated that he was indeed a strong dragon, cable to withstand great deal of suffering without breaking up. Maybe that's what permitted him to defeat the Dark Master.

"Cirrus?"Soon a voice called him. The wind dragon shook his head to regain focus on the real world. He didn't noticed that the purple dragon was now sitting directly in front of him, with his friends at his side. The adult widened his eyes and bowed instantly his head.

"Master Spyro, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, as well with your friends."

"Ours too, but please just Spyro its fine." He then turned to face his partner and nodded. Soon all of his friends presented to the adult wind dragon. He bowed to each one of them, before being interrupted by the Electricity Guardian.

"So, dear Cirrus what's the route we're going to take in order to undertake our terrific and exciting journey?"Questioned the elder.

"Well, I came from west, trough the mountain chain and across the Avalar Valley. If we travel fast we can reach it by sundown."

"Oh there's no need to hurry, we can use the forbidden tunnel and get there in just a couple of hours, then we can take the sky."Replied Volteer.

"Ah, I didn't know about it."

"Nor you should, since it's secret and of course forbidden."Said the guardian grinning.

"But don't worry, us guardians are authorised to use it at our liking. "He continued. Volteer shifted his gaze from the wind adult to the whole group.

"Well young ones, let's go! Our lost brethren await us!"He said before taking the sky toward the western part of the city, where the ruins were situated.

In a couple of minutes they arrived in front of the old stone corridor that brought to the entrance of the forbidden passage. Spyro always marvelled the astounding geography of the Dragon City, which was literally hugged by the mountains in a protective embrace, keeping it safe from strong wind currents coming from the sea.

"Man this place stirs memories, don't you think bud?"Stated his brother, which was hovering to the side of his head.

"Yeah…"Replied the purple dragon turning his gaze to his loved partner. In fact, just less than two months before, he and his two friends were walking that same path the other way around, witnessing for the first time in their lives the beauty of Warfang, if not for the battle raging outside its walls. They fought with everything they got in order to stop the dark army and the Dark Master. Now they were here back again, this time for a mission of peace. He broke from his brief train of thoughts and nuzzled gently his love on her cheek. She replied instantly, bestowing him with all the tenderness she could muster. They broke their embrace before smiling lovingly at each other. Spyro could see an infinity of emotions in those perfect emerald gems and yet the one that stood out the most was love. He was loved by the most beautiful dragoness in the realms. May he be damed if he ever forgets that. They intertwined the tails before returning their attention to the passage, while Sparx fought the urges to puke for the excessive sweetness.

"The gate is at the end of this corridor."Said Volteer excitedly to the group. They all nodded in acknowledgment before following the guardian along the passage.

The corridor was dusty and abandoned just like when Spyro and Cynder firstly arrived in Warfang. Thick columns of light filtered trough the large square openings on the right side of the path. The purple dragon was lost in gazing the intermittency between light and dark as they went along the walkway. Sometimes he turned to face his black scaled companion only to receive that warm smile that he loved so much. He replied with his one and moved his gaze to his other companions. In front of him there were Auros, Nix and Gaia, which were silently walking near each other, their tails swaying left and right in an almost hypnotising way. He noticed the fact that Auros and Nix were very close to each other, with their flanks almost touching. Spyro smiled inwardly in seeing his friends getting closer in that way. They were all nice dragons, with different stories and different pains to deal with in their lives. It was good to witness someone else founding love and friendship in their group and he knew they deserved every bit of it, if not more. His thoughts drifted to the day when he met the white dragon in the infirmary and how he indirectly made him confess his love for Cynder. He remembered the gratefulness that filled his eyes when he proposed him to be friends and the sorrow for witnessing the black dragoness beside him crying on his bed. His compassion for Cynder was actually what stunned Spyro the most of his white scaled friend. He was probably the only one, himself aside, that instantly forgave his loved one for her deeds during the war, even if he directly suffered great losses by her paws. Cynder also told him what happened during the rescue mission, how she lost control of herself and attacked him in anger and how Auros still managed to forgive her in spite of it. Spyro was really impressed by him and felt himself lucky to have someone like him to rely on.

His flow of thoughts broke when he bumped on the rear of the said white dragon, which had stopped with the rest of the group in front of the familiar stone gate. His disattention earned him a curios glance and a warm smile by his friend, which he only replied with a mouthed _Sorry._

"Are you ready?"Came the ringing voice of Volteer, catching his attention. The young dragons all nodded.

"Very well"Said the dragon, before posing his right paw on the stone gate, which began to rumble and shift few seconds after. In less than a minute the rock completely slid away, revealing the passage for the forbidden tunnel. Without another word the group began walking along the barely lit tunnel.

It took them effectively a couple of hours to reach the other end of the passage, and when they arrived, they were welcomed by the fresh and clean air of the Avalar Valley. Cynder inhaled deeply, taking in as much of that pure air in her lungs. She gazed her companions and smiled in seeing that they were all amazed by the beauty that was before their eyes.

"Cirrus, from here you take the lead!"Said the guardian, gesturing the wind drake with his wings. The said dragon nodded and with a little sprint he took the air, directing westwards. Soon after all the members of the group took flight following his stride.

Cynder was flying elegantly beside her purple companion, often stealing him glances and winks. He chuckled and moved closer to her, caressing lovingly her back with his wing. The black dragoness smiled fondly at him, losing herself in his amethyst eyes. Ancestors, she sometimes wondered how's possible that someone can love like she loves Spyro. Her heart literally leaped in joy every time they were together, every time she witnessed him waking up beside her in the morning, every time they laughed together, every time he said 'I love you'. Those three words were like the most powerful spell she ever fell victim of, chaining her soul to his one. Indeed it was the sweetest of all spells. The bond they shared was one of a kind, forged by mutual pain, compassion and kindness. Before departing, it dawned on her that it was very probable that her presence wouldn't be welcomed in the new settlement, but Spyro was, as always, certain that everything would be fine. She knew he was right, as long as they were together, nothing could harm them. With this last thought in her mind, she turned her gaze to the horizon, losing herself in the greatness of the world.

* * *

The team flew for three days without too much problems, their flight supported by the gentle yet fundamental tail wind created by the two wind wielders. During their journey, Spyro observed curiously how the landscape shifted beneath his paws. The green and lush valleys of Avalar left place to a thick forest of evergreens and now, at the middle of the fourth day of travel, it was shifting to a more bare vegetation, with low grass and few trees scattered across the plains.

"We're nearing the cliffs!"Shouted Cirrus and as he spoke he began his descent towards the grassy plains. Spyro noticed in the distance the glimmer of the ocean. They were near their destination.

In few minutes the whole group had landed on the edge of the cliffs, as they perched on it in line.

A calm wind was blowing towards them, carrying the salty scent of the sea. Spyro looked around him, noticing that on both of their sides, the cliffs extended outwards in a round shape. The purple dragon then watched downwards and glimpsed the waves crushing on the rocky promontory hundreds of meters below them.

"This is the western gulf, now we have to decide if to proceed straight from here or go westwards following the line of the promontory."Stated Cirrus, gesturing with his wings.

"What's your advice, young friend?"Asked Volteer expectantly.

"Well, if we go straight from here we would arrive by sundown, but there wouldn't be any possibility to stop or land. If we follow the cliffs, we'll surely arrive by midnight, but with at worst one hour of flight across the sea."Answered the wind dragon.

"I think the couple of extra hours are worth the safety."Stated Auros.

"I agree with him."Added Spyro.

"Very well, let's go then!"Said Volteer. They took the air soon after, directing westward. Spyro noticed again a change in the environment beneath them, in fact the barren steppe had left place to a forest that seemed to extend until the border of the continent. The group landed an hour after sundown and prepared to set up a camp. Spyro and Cynder offered to go out and hunt while the others gathered the necessary for start the fire.

The duo began to adventure in the woods, guided by their predatory instinct and the beaming moonlight that shone bright in the sky. They kept on walking silently until Cynder stopped abruptly raising up her head and sniffing the air. Spyro watched her expectantly until she turned to face him.

"There are a couple of deers in that direction. They're close."She said pointing her wing westwards. Spyro nodded.

"We could circle around the clearing and if you send them towards me I could take them down." He proposed.

"See? Even you have good ideas sometimes."She said playfully, licking his cheek. Spyro stood dumbfounded for a moment before frowning.

"Hey!"He said whispering before following her in the bushes.

The couple reached the clearing and once located their preys, they put to work their plan. The purple dragon moved to the opposite side to where Cynder, while keeping an eye on her to see when she would attack. He saw her crouching even lower, with her belly grazing the ground before leaping at the oblivious deer that was before her. She then finally jumped, but moments before she could land a blow, a dark figure slammed into her, sending the dragoness crashing to the side of the clearing. The deers, scared by the commotion, ran in the opposite direction, where Spyro was. He dodged the upcoming charge before he flung himself to where Cynder was, skidding in front of the figure that was holding her down. The moonlight was illuminating the creature and Spyro noticed that it was clearly an adult dragon. Spyro didn't think twice before ramming the dragon away and helping Cynder stand on her paws. They nodded to each other before crouching low, adopting their fighting stance. The adult before them snarled as he stood back up, meanwhile two other smaller dragons stepped out from the bushes, flanking the elder.

"Who are you? Why did you attack her?"Asked Spyro.

"It was a coincidence, she just was in my trajectory to tackle the deer…"Snorted the dragon, with a deep voice.

"Besides, who are **you**?And what are you doing in our city's territory?"Said snarling again the dragon.

"I'm Spyro the purple dragon and she's Cynder, my partner. We're peace envoys from Warfang to Seascale. We're here with Volteer, the lightning guardian, your messenger and other friends."Answered politely the purple dragon.

The three dragons remained taken aback by his declaration. They looked to each other as the elder came on. He stopped in front of the two youngsters, inspecting them carefully and suspiciously.

"Well,Spyro, I acknowledge you are indeed a purple dragon so you must be saying the truth. Us three are an hunting team from Seascale. The whole city has been waiting fervently for your arrival."

He then turned to face Cynder.

"Still I cannot fathom why you'd bring her with you."He concluded snarling. Spyro was prepared to this and he promptly answered back.

"She's been my loyal partner for much time. She's not responsible for the deeds of the Terror during the war. The one liable for them was Malefor and as you may know, he's dead now."He concluded.

The dragon snorted.

"Very well, purple dragon. Would you like to bring us to the rest of your group so we can escort you to our city?"Offered the elder. The two youngsters watched each other and then nodded silently.

"Follow us, it's ten minutes away."Said Spyro, gesturing Cynder to lead the way.

As matter of facts, the dragons reached the camp in the said time. Upon their arrival, Spyro and Cynder explained briefly their encounter with the hunting team from the dragon city and decided to still pass the night in the forest and leave for the city at the first lights of dawn, in the meanwhile the three hunters returned to Seascale in order to inform the elders about their arrival.

Finally after a couple of hours everyone went to sleep and while everybody seemed to be deep in their rest, Auros stood still awake, leaned next to Nix which, he noticed, was slightly trembling at the chilling air coming from north. He hesitated for a second before gently unfurling his wings around her and dragging her form closer to his, enveloping her completely with his warmth. The azure dragoness feeling the new pleasing sensation, nested even closer to the source of the beneficial warmth, resting her head against his chest. Auros smiled at this scene, before licking her forehead and resting his head on top of hers and finally drifting into blissful sleep.

—

The next morning Nix awoke with a yawn, but instead of the sky, the only thing her blurred vision left transpire was a gold coloured chest plate. It took her a couple of seconds to figure out where she was and upon raising her snout, she bumped into the white dragon's jaw. She flushed red in learning the position they were in, but really she didn't mind at all. In fact knowing that he willingly protected her against the cold during last night, made her heart tingle with joy. Upon hearing groans coming from around her, she decided it was time to wake up her draconic blanket. She nuzzled under his jaw and when she saw it wasn't gaining the wanted effect, she began licking his jawline. Finally Auros groaned and after few seconds he opened his eyes before turning his gaze towards the source of the tingle which woke him up. He smiled upon seeing her muzzle and gently caressed her back.

"Slept well?"He asked.

"Better than ever. But, alas, I have to ask you to release me."She said, with a playful smile. Auros widened his eyes in realisation before opening up his wings and letting the dragoness in his embrace roll out and stand up on her paws, soon after the white drake joined her.

All round them, their friends were all waking up, yawning and stretching their sore muscles. After a couple of minutes they were all ready to conclude their journey. They took the sky, which was partially cloudy, making the weather not too warm and not too cold. The group flew for two hours before Cirrus finally shouted:"Here we are!"

Spyro marvelled the sight that was before them. An ancient volcano stood at the centre of the island, covering most of its surface. He saw Cirrus dive down until he was just few meters above the waves. That morning the sea was of an intense blue-turquoise, which contrasted beautifully the dark-coloured basaltic shores and cliffs of the island. Upon closer inspection he saw that many of the rock formations were composed by countless parallelepipeds of basalt, which seemed almost sculpted, given their seamless precision. Perched on one of those pillars Spyro saw a dragon looking at them. Once they were closer, the said creature took the sky and dived at the base of the cliff where it disappeared. Spyro remained dumbfounded in seeing this, but before he could voice his curiosity, Cirrus's voice came.

"We must follow him! Come!" He said diving again lower and aligning with the cliff. The others did as he said, forming a straight line behind him. The cliff was getting rapidly closer and the visibility wasn't certainly helped by the spraying water. In the end, at few meters from the wall of basalt, a large entrance came into view between the rolling waves. Cirrus tucked his wing a bit closer to himself and went in, followed by his flew straight and fast inside the cave, gradually tilting upwards, until a brilliant light invested them all. It took Spyro a couple of seconds to adapt to the brightness around him and when finally everything came back into view, he remained even more amazed than before.

All around them huge walls of black rock extended far high in the sky, stopping only to form an enormous circular aperture that let the sunlight come in. On the walls around them there were several large openings with some decorations around them and coloured tents to cover the various entrances and a sort of circular walkway that rounded the entire girth of the crater, forming a sort of ring, which was layered with others above. Spyro couldn't stop to look around, with his maw dropped from were inside an enormous spent volcano! Just when Cynder tapped his tail with her own, he regained his bearings and payed more attention to where they where at that moment.

His whole group was standing on a sort of rampart, also made of basalt, that surrounded the entrance from which they came.

"Oh boy, that was a scary run down there!"Commented Sparx, still covered in salted water.

Before the purple dragon could utter an answer, another group of dragons landed before them on the rampart. They were indeed all adult dragons with four armoured soldiers at their sides. The central one stepped in front of the others, bowing his head in the direction of the purple dragon. He was indeed a fire wielder, barely resembling Ignitus in some body traits even if his colour was of a deeper red, with his chest shifting gradually to a fiery orange.

"Welcome to Seascale, dear guests. I'm Orm, member of the council of the city. It's an honour to receive you."He said bowing again his head.

"As it is for us to be welcomed in you home, dear friend." Said Volteer, bowing slightly.

"Thank you Master Volteer." Said the fire elder before shifting his gaze to the purple youngster.

"So you must be Spyro, the great Saviour." Said Orm inspecting closely the purple dragon, which only nodded in response.

"Words of your deeds came far across the whole continent and of course to our ears. I must admit it was a very admirable feat what you accomplished young one."He said complimenting.

"I did what needed to be done…Besides"He said glancing to his black scaled companion. "I had great help."

"It seems that the words about your modesty were also true."The fire dragon chuckled.

"Well, you must be all tired and hungry. We have a feast set up for your arrival, then Cirrus could show you some available accommodation."Proposed Orm. They all nodded in acceptance.

"C'mon follow us."Said the elder before spreading his wings and darting upon the air. The rest of the group followed him in the traversal of the crater, which spanned several hundreds of meters in diameters. They landed in a couple of minutes to the other side, where there was a large wooden door.

"This is our great hall, please come in, the rest of the population is awaiting for you."He said, gesturing the guards to open the doors.

The great hall was brightly illuminated by several magical torches and a series of rectangular openings carved in the wall that faced the crater, letting the light entering the place. There were many rows of stone-made tables. The hall was packed with dragons, all of various colours and age and when the doors opened, everyone turned their gaze to the group of newcomers and specifically on the purple dragon.

Spyro gazed around him, feeling a bit of discomfort in seeing so many pair of eyes on him. He scanned the hall and saw many different emotions in those countless orbs that were drilling into his skull: astonishment, curiosity, joy and even fear? All his discomfort soon faded once the hall was filled with a massive round of cheers and applauses. Many also began to roar and stomp their paws, making the ground rattle at their rhythm. In the middle of the general noise he heard a female voice shouting.

"No, come back here!"

He turned his head towards the source of the noise and saw a yellow dash of colour come in his direction. A moment later a little dragoness was clutching his left foreleg. Spyro remained a little taken aback by the 'assault' of the little creature. He studied with curiosity the hatchling that was holding tight his leg, since he never saw one in his life. She was indeed an electricity dragoness, given her scale colour. She had four little horns protruding from the back of her head and her eyes were blue like the sea they just crossed, which were gazing at his amethyst ones with the deepest awe he had ever seen. He decided to approach the little one by getting closer with his muzzle.

"Hi, what's your name?"He asked gently.

"I-Iris, mister purple dragon…"She answered with a stuttering voice.

"Well, my name it's Spyro. Nice to meet you." He said, offering his other paw to her. She grabbed on of his digit with her tiny paws and shook it.

Spyro smiled fondly and raised his head, only to find out that everyone was watching his little confrontation with the hatchling. Among the other dragons, he saw a yellow dragoness which was eyeing them and specifically the little dragoness with severe worry. He smiled at the said dragoness, before focusing his attention back to the hatchling.

"Is she your mom?"He asked, gesturing with his head. The little creature followed his head and then turned almost immediately back to him, nodding.

"Well, I think you should go back to her, she seems worried. Tell her that Spyro says hi."He said. The hatchling nodded again, before darting back to his mother's arms.

"Ahem, dear friends."Came Orm's voice"Our esteemed guests from Warfang have finally arrived. They're hungry and tired, let's show them our hospitality and gratitude!"He shouted. Another round of roars and stomps began, while Orm gestured with his wings to follow him. They crossed the hall, while the citizens kept applauding and cheering. Once they reached their table, the cheers began to die down to a normal conversation level, as everyone began to eat they meals.

Spyro and his groups took their seats and also began to eat the venison that was offered to them. After several minutes and a couple of chats with the other elders at the table, they were all accompanied by Cirrus to their respective accommodations, which were all on the same ring and next to each other. Spyro and Cynder were left as last, Cirrus walked along the stone pathway before he stopped in front of another tent.

"I assumed you'd like to stay together, so I informed the elders to have an extra bed in this one."He said turning his head towards the entrance.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality."Said Spyro.

"It's the minimum we can do. I hope you'll have a good rest. Once you feel rested enough we can continue the tour of the settlement. I'm sure you'll like it."He concluded.

"Thank you Cirrus, see you later."Said Cynder, entering the room.

Their place was lit whit a couple of magical torches lit on the wall. The room was nothing special: just a box carved few meters in the stone with two beds of hay and a large tissue to keep it together. Nothing compared to their room at the Temple in Warfang. Still it was inviting.

"C'mon Spyro, I think we could use a couple of hours of sleep."Said Cynder, directing towards the bed.

He followed her with eagerness, laying close to her and enveloping her form with his wings.

"By the way, you were really cute with that little dragoness back there."She said giggling.

"Who knows, maybe one day we could have on of our own."She said turning her nestling her head closer to his chest.

Spyro remained dumbfounded by her proposition, but his doubt quickly faded, replaced by and undying love for her partner.

"It would be the greatest thing in my life."He said getting closer to her and nuzzling her forehead.

Soon they both drifted into sleep.

* * *

**Epilogue - Chapter 21**

A couple of hours later, a young adult earth dragon was returning to his working post in the caves beneath Seascale. He began to do his usual work of extracting materials and spirit crystals to store in the infirmary, when he heard some voices coming from behind the stone. The dragon raised a brow and fixed his ear-hole to the rock wall. There were indeed voices, but they weren't louder than a whisper. Curios, he began to dig in the direction of the sound, which was getting closer with each swipe he made.

With his last dig, the wall crumbled and a powerful purple light invested him. He shielded his eyes and once he got used to it, he inspected the source of that powerful light. On the other side of the hole, there was a medium sized cave with a dome-like ceiling and, in the middle of it, a swirling structure of dark-purple crystals. The drake widened his eyes in seeing those monstrosities, but before he could move a muscle, a dense purple fog shot from the crystals towards him and entered his ears, mouth and nostrils. Now the voices were everywhere, louder and they said only one thing:"_Kill the purple dragon_".


	22. Chapter 22 - Ignitus's Omen

The remaining of the day passed rather quickly for the dragons of Warfang. In fact, after getting their much needed rest, elder Orm offered to begin the tour of the city before dinner time. He narrated how the first group of dragons found this place during their escape from the war many yeas ago and how the population began to grow, with new refugees arriving by the day during the worst periods of the conflict. Orm also told them how Earth dragons were fundamental in the building of the settlement, since the basaltic stone was so hard and with an high fusion temperature, it became necessary to directly manipulate it with Earth magic in order to simply mould it.

After dinner in the great hall, the group separated for the night, sure that they would continue their visit the following morning.

* * *

_Meanwhile in the White Isle…_

"_This is troubling…_"Thought the Chronicler as he paced back and forth the hourglass room, around him many tomes of various colours were floating in front of his muzzle, as he looked trough them frantically. He was indeed worried since he felt a weird energy surge coming from one of the books of dragons. Ignitus was still new to this kind of job and he still needed much time to browse all the various books in order to find the troublesome one. The energy felt familiar and it did stir some unsettling feelings in him. It was actually similar to the one he perceived after the battle in the eastern mountains, when his former colleagues went to save Spyro. In that time he felt completely lost in seeing what happened to his young pupil and what suffering he went trough. Even worse, he felt worthless and powerless in not being able to help him in any way. Alas, this was his new duty to carry on, being just a mere recorder of events. He just prayed that nothing bad would happen to the young dragons he was constantly watching on.

"_Be safe young ones…_" He said in his mind, as he continued his search of the book.

* * *

Morning came fast as soon as Spyro closed his eyes. It was nice to finally rest one full night with his belly full and a comfortable place to sleep near his partner. He looked around himself and, in seeing that there was light filtering from the tent that covered the entrance of their room, he deduced that was time to get up and begin their new day. He returned his gaze to the black dragoness sleeping beside him. She was so beautiful when asleep and to him it felt like a crime to wake her up and break her blissful rest. In the end he convinced himself that it was the best thing to be done, so he gently began to lick her neck, in order to at least wake her up with a pleasurable sensation. After few seconds her eyelids began to flutter and soon after they finally opened, revealing the two beautiful emerald gems that he loved so much. Once her senses began to work properly, she gasped at the blissful sensation of his tongue running on her neck.

"...Spyro? What are…Ahh!"A moan of pleasure escaped from her throat, as he approached the sensible scales near her choker.

"I…Just…Wanted to…wake you up…"He said while keeping his ascent towards her muzzle.

"In the best of the ways" He finally concluded, as he licked her nose. Their eyes locked for a second, before Cynder moved her snout to meet his own and lick his lips sensually. He purred deeply, making his chest cage vibe.

"Hmm, keep going like this and I'll make you lick more than just my neck."She teased playfully.

"Whatever you wish, my love."He said, with his gaze full of love and care. She loved him even more when he was like this. She posed her forehead to his, closing her eyes.

"I love you"She whispered.

"I love you too."He answered.

They stood huddled together like that for another couple of minutes, before they both got up from the bed and directed towards the external walkway to join with their friends. They both watched with curios eyes the number of dragons that flew in various directions across the crater, many landing in apposite perches and ledges that were positioned along the other rings. Some dragons disappeared behind the coloured tents of their dwellings, meanwhile others stopped to chat with friends. It was beautiful to see so much life in a seemingly abandoned place like this.

The group directed back to the great hall to eat a modest breakfast before continuing their tour of the new settlement.

That morning another elder came to guide the Warfangians dragons. It was an adult dragoness, with deep blue scales and white chest. Her wings membranes were also blue, with a series of small white dots that almost seemed like stars on an evening sky. A sinuous white crest descended from her back to the tip of her long tail. Her eyes where of a lustrous golden hue.

She landed gently in front of the doors of the great hall and greeted with the guests.

"Hello, my name is Aqua, I'm a councillor of the city along with Orm, which I'm sure you already met. I'll be you guide today."She said with a smooth voice. Spyro and his group bowed their heads in acknowledgment before following the way of the dragoness.

They began to move to the centre of the crater, where there was another wide circular opening.

"So, as you can see our city is built inside the caldera of a long dead volcano. We organised the structure to be in tiers, in order to have as much space as possible both in height and width. The dwelling are generally dug out from the basalt, which is promptly used to create supporting structures for the circular pathways you see around."She began, gesturing the various points of the city with her wings.

"That rampart where you landed yesterday is our line of protection agains the high-tide. It never happened that the water reached a threatening level, but we decided to totally eliminate the risk by building that wall."She continued, while she moved to the opening.

"This is the accessing point to the underside of our settlement, which also works as a rainwater collector. Follow me."She said, leaning to the edge and dropping herself in the hole. The others did as she said and one by one went down in the opening.

Spyro spread his wings in order to slow his descent and gently landed on the basalt floor of the cave. Once everybody arrived, he began to inspect his surroundings. His maw dropped, again, in awe.

They were indeed in an enormous cave which extended tens of metres in diameter and at least twenty in height. From the opening which they came in, a thick column of light was coming in, illuminating directly a big pool just underneath it. Around it there where a series of crystalline columns that were shining bright.

"So, this is what we consider the heart of the city. There, in the middle, there's our reservoir of water and those columns you see there are made of a special quartz which permit us to transmit part of the daylight around the caves."Continued the dragoness, always gesturing with her wings.

"From here we can access to various important places of the city, such as the infirmary, the storages of food, the mines and so on."She concluded.

From there the group began the exploration of the caves, with the guide of Aqua who promptly answered to all the questions they had. Volteer seemed the one who was most excited, since he was the one who asked the majority of the questions. Spyro instead listened with great care to what the dragoness said, marvelling each single room or detail he could take notice.

_Meanwhile in the mines…_

The earth adult was walking aimlessly for hours now, his paws ached but he didn't care. As matter of facts he couldn't feel anything aside the pounding voices in his head. Everything else was just a tingle, a sensation which he couldn't put his paws on. Not that he wanted or needed to. His only objective was to silence those voices. He had to do what they wanted him to do. He felt anger against this damned purple dragon, of which he didn't even remember the name.

Not that he cared.

It was his fault that the voices were tormenting him. They said it themselves. He had seen him the previous night in the great hall, before the beginning of his shift, he also had cheered for him.

Stupid ass.

"_Kill him… Kill the purple…Kill…_"The voices were constant, completely inebriating his hearing and his thoughts. They made a chaos which he couldn't stand for, making him feeling like his head was going to explode or other gory things.

Stupid kid.

His mother would say that a gentle-dragon should never speak curse words. He could almost hear her voice in the mess of whispers in his head. Yet, his mother had died two years before, and it was fault of the purple dragon. He heard his story, how he froze his sorry ass and the other killer with him in a crystal for three years in order to save himself.

Fucking coward.

He should had fought like anyone else and die like a real dragon, not hiding himself away from the war, while fucking Malefor ravaged the dragon-kind.

Mother was dead and it was his fucking fault.

"_IT'S NEAR!_"Exclaimed the voices all of a sudden, breaking his train of thoughts. He jolted on place, scanning his surroundings, in search of the purple whelp. He found himself in one of the major crossroads of the tunnels system. It was another wide cave with a tunnel for each important place down there, like the infirmary or the mines, where he was coming from. In between his fellow citizens that were walking quickly from one side to another he noticed that damned streak of purple scales.

Fucking finally.

"_KILL HIM….KILL…_"The voices where louder now, assuming a more masculine and distorted tone. He grinned. The dragon began to charge an earth missile, but before he could release it, he stopped. Only a coward strikes the enemy from distance. A real dragon would challenge face to face his enemy. So he crouched low, shifting his weight to the back leg, reading himself to sprint.

"KILL!"A now single voice hissed again.

He charged.

* * *

Cynder was trying to listen with all herself, but her attention was beginning fade away each time the dragoness opened her maw.

"This is one of the major crossroad of our underground tunnels. From here we can return to the main reservoir chamber or direct to one of the important places that we visited earlier…."

Her words blurred away, mixing with the low background noise composed by chattering and numerous paw steps. She looked around herself curios about the place, until she heard a set of paw steps approaching rapidly. She turned to the direction of the noise, only to see a big earth dragon charging against her purple dragon, which was, as the rest of their team, giving his back to the assaulter. He was too late to dodge or to evade the attack.

She didn't think twice on what she had to do. With all her might, she sprinted with her back legs and pushed away her lover just a moment before the dragon could snatch him with his jaws.

Pain exploded in her torso as the larger dragon's maw locked her in its prison of razor sharp teeth and saliva.

Spyro tumbled against Volteer, hitting his temple against the hard chest of the felt disoriented as his head was spinning a bit, but upon hearing the whine of his partner he immediately stood up and when he saw what had happened, his vision completely cleared, fuelled by anger. He witnessed the attacker open his maw to release his dragoness, making her fall limp on the hard stone floor, another yelp was emitted by her.

Before both Spyro and the Earth dragon could notice it, the purple one had already conjured a Comet Dash, which hit hard the attacker, sending him crashing on the opposite wall. A loud crash could be heard booming around the cave, while around them fell total silence. Spyro glared with burning eyes the earth dragon, which was trying to stand up.

"_GET UP LIZARD! KILL HIM!_"The voice screamed in his mind, while the adult desperately tried to collect his strengths. In that moment, another sharp pain exploded, as two powerful earth missiles reached him. Knocking him out cold. The last thing he could hear was the screaming voice in his mind.

Spyro observed the dragon fall limp under his attack, as a stream of dark-purple smoke left from the earth dragon's nostrils and dispersed in the air of the cave. He was about to fire another shot, when his hears caught the whine of Cynder. He turned immediately to face her, falling on his belly by her side.

She was bleeding from several puncture wounds on her back and underbelly. Her breathing was a bit fatigued, interspersed by coughs.

"She needs a healer! Now!"Shouted Spyro. Around him several other dragons had grouped to see what happened.

"We must bring her to the infirmary, put her on my back!"Said Aqua, lowering to the ground. Spyro gently posed her on her blue back, with the help of Volteer, before all the group speeded trough the caves in order to reach the infirmary.

They all entered quickly in the underground building, while the adult dragoness shouted orders in every direction, calling the attention of various medics, who promptly took the black dragoness with them, before disappearing behind a white door.

Spyro was about to follow her, but a blue wing unfurled before the door.

"Spyro, you can't follow her. You must stay here."

"Why? She's hurt, she…"He tried argue, but another wing, this time yellow, joined the blue one.

"She's right young dragon. The medics must be alone to help her."Said Volteer with a calming voice.

"Don't worry. I and Master Volteer will watch over her."Said the blue dragoness. Spyro bowed his head in defeat, before standing up and directing towards his friends. He sat on his hunches, which his head hanging low. He suddenly felt a wing unfurling on his back, as he saw his white friend smiling sadly at him. He left himself drag closer to him, until he rested his head on his shoulder.

"It's my fault, that dragon was going after me… "Said sadly the purple dragon, trying to hold back his tears. Before he could notice, another wing unfurled around him, then another. He felt also the little hand of his brother posing on his forehead as he began to caress him.

"She's very strong and in good hands. She will be fine in no time, I'm sure of it."Came Auros's soothing voice.

"And we're your friends and we're here for you."Said Nix in tow.

Spyro sniffled, calming himself. Now that the surge of adrenaline had diminished, his brain began to work again. He was indeed super worried for Cynder, but still he had faith in her and in the healers. Auros was right, she was the strongest dragoness in the world. She will go trough it.

"Thanks guys…"He said.

_Meanwhile in the White Isle…_

The Chronicler was now on high alert. The same energy that he perceived earlier came again, this time also infecting part of Cynder's book. He inspected carefully the dragoness's tome, fortunately not finding any trace of residual corruption. He sighed in relief. After a brief pause to regain his bearings, Ignitus tried to pinpoint the same energy inside the myriad of other books of the library. He searched frantically again and again until he found the incriminated book.

It was the tome of a young adult Earth dragon, named Soil. He began inspecting the book with utmost care, until his eyes opened wide in seeing the last pages. He fixed his gaze to the clear image of a dark-crystal construct embedded in the parchment, his orbs filling with disgust and fear. He called to him Cynder's book, browsing it rapidly until he found the chapter about Spyro's rescue mission. He searched carefully the pages, his eyes bouncing between each line of text, each small image. Ignitus retraced every step she made in those obscure caves, until another daunting image compared before his eyes. It was the picture of an enormous dark crystal, embedded in the ceiling of the cave in which Cynder and the rest of his friends were in. He accosted the page to Soil's one. If the mind could make noise, his would be roaring like a dragon in mating.

"Dark crystals…"

"Grublins…"He said turning his gaze to Cynder's book.

"Mind submission…"He then stated, with his attention to Soil's book this time. Suddenly a realisation came to him. It hit like a thunder in the clear sky.

"No…It can't be…"He said, now clearly preoccupied.

"_I need to talk with Spyro, he must be prepared!_"He thought while he directed towards the chamber of the pool of visions. He sat on his haunches, breathing in and out slowly, trying to clear his mind from all the preoccupations.

"Spyro…"He called.

* * *

The young dragons were still huddled when Spyro raised his head, his gaze lost.

"Spyro? Are you ok?"Asked Auros with a worried tone.

"I…I…"He tried to speak, before he suddenly collapsed against the white dragon like a dead body.

"Spyro!"Exclaimed his friend.

"We need a healer!"Shouted Auros to the nurses that were in the foyer. Immediately, several dragons converged on the youngsters.

"What happened!?"Asked Sparx worriedly, making slalom through the forest of horns and wings.

"He just passed out from one moment to another…"Said the white dragon worriedly. The dragonfly stood silent for couple of seconds, before his eyes widened in realisation.

"This can't be good…"

* * *

The purple dragon woke up in a weirdly familiar place. He was sprawled on an ancient stone floor, with greyish-blue tiles. Around him there were several bookshelves, all packed with tomes and books of various colours. He recognised almost instantly the place. He was in the White Isle.

"Spyro…"Called a well familiar voice.

"Ignitus?"Said Spyro, getting up from the floor. Few seconds later the familiar dragon emerged from behind the hourglass, smiling at the youngster. The purple dragon walked to the elder, hugging his foreleg tightly, while the new Chronicler nuzzled his head gently. They shared their affectionate moment together before Ignitus broke the embrace.

"Spyro it's beautiful to see you…"Said Ignitus, moving his gaze towards the purple's body. His gaze saddened a bit in seeing the marks of his recent imprisonment still clearly visible on his young scales.

"Spyro I'm sorry…"He suddenly said.

"For what?"Asked curiously the youngster.

"Because I did nothing to help you when you where kidnapped…" Said the Chronicler sadly.

"Well, it's not your fault. It just happened and I went trough it, like everything else. I'm lucky to have Cynder and my wonderful friends that care much about me."Said Spyro, before his eyes shot open.

"Cynder! She's still injured! I must go back to her."Said Spyro, in almost a pleading voice.

"Don't worry young dragon. She'll be fine. In fact I'm sure she will be by your side when you'll wake up."He replied, smiling. Spyro smiled a little again, thinking about his dragoness and how much he was worried.

"Spyro, I called you here because there's something you need to know…Follow me…"He said, with a serious tone. The youngster followed him without a question. Few seconds after, a pair of books floated before the elder. One was green and one black.

"You see, when you your friends and my former colleagues came to rescue you, I felt a weird energy surge, just after the mountain collapsed…"Began Ignitus.

"At first I thought it was nothing, but after you arrived in the city of Seascale, I perceived another similar surge. So I began to look for the source."He said, as the green book opened before their eyes. The pages began to scroll rapidly, until they stopped abruptly. The page displayed the swirling dark crystal structure that the earth dragon had found. Spyro's eyes widened in seeing that, but before he could voice his curiosity, Ignitus continued.

"The dragon that attacked you today found this crystal yesterday night. The corruptive power of the formation submitted his mind in doing whatever it wished him to do."

As he spoke, the black book came floating near them and opened to another page. This one was displaying a couple of young dragons in dark cave with an enormous dark crystal on the ceiling.

"This is Cynder's book, and it displays what they found in the cavers of the eastern mountains…"

"I think this isn't a coincidence, since both of these crystal were situated in remote places and both of them were infused with a particular dark power."Stated the elder. Spyro raised his head to meet Ignitus's gaze.

"So you think it's…"The purple began.

"Indeed Malefor's power."Concluded the elder.

"But how, we defeated him! How's possible?"Asked Spyro with great concern.

"Calm young dragon. Malefor is as matter of facts defeated, but his influence and power were immense…"

"When I visited you the first time, I told you that these were indeed still dark times. I wasn't lying. It pains me to ask you this, but Spyro you must destroy that crystal and whatever other maleficent thing that Malefor created to conserve his power."Said Ignitus.

"Now it's time I let you go, I'm sure your friends are worried for you. Talk with them and with the other guardians about this. They will help you in any way they can and advise you in your quest to bring the downfall of the darkness that plagued our realms for centuries."Concluded the Chronicler with a solemn tone.

"I will do it."Said Spyro, raising his head to meet Ignitus's gaze. The former fire guardian smiled and nuzzled gently the younger dragon.

"Thank you, young dragon. Now go, your friends are waiting for you."Said Ignitus as Spyro began to glow.

"I'm proud of you. Never forget that."Were the last words Ignitus said before everything disappeared.

* * *

Cynder woke up laid on a bed in the infirmary. Beside her, a blue dragoness was fumbling with a couple of small glass jars, filled with some weird greenish ointments. The black youngster's move attracted the attention of the healer, which gazed at her with a beautiful smile.

"Hello young dragoness."She said.

"Hello… what happened?"She said with fog clouding her recent memories. Then her eyes widened in realisation. She turned her gaze to inspect her body. The dragoness found that, apart for a couple of bandages around her waist, she was mostly good.

"You were very lucky, young one. Your wounds were mostly superficial and so easily curable with the help of the red gems. We fixed you up in a short time. You just needed to rest."Said calmly the healer. Cynder's attention, though, was now completely on another problem.

"Where's Spyro? Is he ok?"Asked concernedly Cynder.

"Ah, Master Spyro passed out in the infirmary foyer. I think he's resting in the room next to this one."Stated the medic.

"I didn't think that the purple dragon could be so impressed by a bit of blood."She snickered. Cynder frowned, sure that this wasn't the cause of his passing out. They both had their fair share of bloodshed witnessing and Spyro had never faltered once during their journey.

"Can I see him?"She asked, almost pleading. The dragoness watched the youngster for a couple of moments, before nodding and guiding her towards the door.

His room was literally on the opposite side of hers. The dragoness pushed open the wooden door, which revealed a bed on which the purple dragon was laid. Sparx was leaning on his bead, caressing his forehead.

"Hey Cynder!"He exclaimed, buzzing towards her.

"How's the dark mistress feeling?"He said. Cynder frowned, as a mischievous grin formed on her lips.

"Pretty hungry, maybe I'll eat you as a starter."

"Ok, ok, I'll stop teasing."Said Sparx raising his hands. Cynder's grin vanished, replaced by a concerned gaze, while her eyes wandered to the purple dragon resting on the bed. She moved closer to him, resting her head beside his.

"You know I have a bad feeling about this…"Piped up Sparx, hovering beside her.

The dragoness frowned.

"I just hope he will wake soon."She said as she climbed on the bed and enveloped the purple figure with her wings. She finally rested her head near his on the cushion and fell fast asleep.

Spyro's eyes shot open, as he drawn in a deep and long breath, similar to the one who someone would make if he was almost drowned.

His gaze wandered on his surrounding, which were completely foreign to him. He was beginning to get up when he felt a warm weight on his side. He looked down to find the most beautiful creature he could ever laid eyes on.

Cynder was sleeping soundly, gently snuggled on his chest, with one wing covering his lower body and one arm leaned just beneath his neck. It was indeed a protective hug. He smiled lovingly at his sleeping beauty, before it dawned on him. She hadn't any visible injury on her body, when just before he lost consciousness, she was injured and bleeding profusely.

Now she just had a white bandage around her waist, which wasn't even stained in blood. He was very happy to see that she was fine and as his worries faded away, he rested his head back to the cushion. He closed his eyes again, recollecting the words which the Chronicler told him moments before. Spyro was a bit angry at himself, but most of all he was disappointed. He had deceived himself, in believing that he could finally live an happy life in peace, away from darkness and leaving war behind. Now he discovered that evil had never left the realms, it was just waiting for strike back once again and this time he was the main target. His train of thoughts was suddenly broken by a light shuffling and yawn coming from beside him. He opened his eyes to see that Cynder was waking up beside him. She yawned again, as her emerald gems revealed again to the world after her sleep. He smiled lovingly at her.

"Spyro!"She exclaimed, cupping his snout with both her paws and bestowing him with all the kisses she could muster. He indulged her love, bathing in the marvellous sensation that it provided. She finished her assault planting her muzzle on his, with a firm kiss. Then she released him.

"Wow, did I miss you?"Asked astounded Spyro.

"Like you couldn't imagine. By the way, what happened to you, the healer said that you passed out in the foyer."She asked curiously.

"Well…The Chronicler contacted me about something…troubling."He said with his eyes downcast.

"I'd really love to tell you more, right now. But it's something that all of our group should hear. It's really important."He stated. Cynder nodded in acceptance.

"Do you want me to call the medic?"She asked.

"I'll go, I'm sure you still need to rest."He said, pecking on her cheek. She purred lovingly, watching her purple dragon leaving for the door. Spyro exited in the corridor and luckily found a nurse walking nearby.

"Excuse me?"He said. The dragoness turned around and her eyes widened once she focused on the purple dragon, but before she could utter a word, Spyro continued.

"Hello, could you please ask to my companions if they can reach me in my room. I need to talk with them, if it's possible."Said the youngster. The nurse stood silent for a couple of seconds before nodding silently and directing towards the other end of the corridor.

Spyro only raised a brow, before he directed back to his place. He opened the door and laid beside his partner, nuzzling her cheek.

"I asked to a nurse if she could retrieve them. They'll arrive soon."He said. The purple dragon then focused his vision to her body, again inspecting her scales to see if there was any tangible remain of the attack she suffered before.

"I'm fine Spyro, don't worry."She said.

"I just wanted to be sure…"He replied.

"You shouldn't have taken that hit for me…I-"

"Spyro, would you have done the same for me?"She asked the rhetorical question.

"Yes, of course!"

"Then I'm fine with it. I'm proud of myself that for once I saved you from pain."She said, nuzzling under his chin. Just before he could utter a word in response, the door opened.

"Guys, are you ok!?"Said Gaia entering the room, followed by the other Warfangians dragons.

"Young dragons you gave us a big scare, both of you."Said Volteer. Both Spyro and Cynder bowed their heads.

"Yes we're fine, sorry for getting you worried."Said Spyro.

"Anyway I called you because there's an important thing I must say to you all."Continued Spyro, with a gloomy tone. He inhaled loudly.

"Ignitus, the late Fire Guardian, is the new Chronicler."Said the young dragon. It was like dropping a bombshell.

Volteer was the first to open his mouth.

"That's…That's…Amazing!"He said with the happiest voice Spyro had ever heard.

"This only demonstrate how much strong and honourable was…Is…our dear friend. Being blessed by the Ancestors with such a terrific, magnificent honour is the strongest proof of his greatness as a dragon."Concluded the guardian, while the youngsters watched him with mixed feeling. Gaia and Nix had only heard about Ignitus, while Auros had seen him once. They all knew the story of how the fire elder sacrificed himself in order to permit to Spyro and Cynder to go on in their journey.

Volteer returned his attention to the purple and black youngsters on the bed and in seeing that Spyro was still frowning he got closer to him, caressing his head with one wing.

"Young one, what troubles you? Shouldn't we all be happy to know that Ignitus has been chosen for such an honour?" Said the elder, with caring tone. Spyro exhaled heavily before bringing up his head and meeting his gaze with Volteer.

"He told me that darkness still lies ahead…And it wants to get me." Volteer recoiled with wide eyes. He was about to utter response, before a loud yawn came from Cynder's back. A second later, Sparx zipped up from the bed, with beady eyes. He gazed around, seeing all the dragons around him frowning.

"Hey, did I miss something?"


	23. Chapter 23 - New Foe

**Hi dear readers, it's been a while, but with everything happening in the world during this period, writing sadly wasn't at the top of my ****priorities. Still I want to let you know that here everything is mostly fine, exams went well in the end and now I'm enjoying some good earned rest. I hope that's the same for all of you. **

**Again thank you for your support. Some of you turned to me to ask for help for their stories and I felt really honoured to be able to give my suggestions and opinions.**

**Now, without any other delay, enjoy the new chapter. **

**-Azotac**

"This is indeed troubling!"Exclaimed Volteer apprehensively.

Spyro had just finished to explain what Ignitus had told him. Obviously the news about the still firm and concrete presence of Malefor's darkness in the realms came quite as a shock to the Warfangians dragons, which now all bore a very troubled gaze.

"What should we do?"Asked Nix.

"Well, relying on what Spyro said, one crystal has already been destroyed durning his rescue mission, while another lies inside these caves and it's the cause of the attack which Cynder received today…"

"But who knows how many others lay around the continent, if not the whole world…"Continued Volteer.

"We should immediately alert the elders of Seascale. We must find and destroy that crystal."Exclaimed Spyro.

"Good idea young dragon! I'm going to gather miss Aqua so we can go together to the elders. You two think you can be ready to leave in some minutes?"Asked worriedly the electricity dragon.

Spyro turned his vision to Cynder, who promptly nodded to him with a sure gaze.

"Yes we are, we'll wait you here."Answered the purple dragon.

"Very good, I'll be back in few minutes!"Exclaimed the elder, running out of the door. Once it was closed, the other three youngster turned their attention to their purple and black friends.

"What do you think is gonna happen? I mean, how can we defeat this darkness, if it can control dragons?"Asked Nix with worry.

"We must never let our guard down, that's all. We can't afford to let other citizens get influenced, or we could have to face a small army to get to the crystal."Said Cynder. Spyro was about to add something else, when the door bursted open again, with Volteer and Acqua entering with fast pace.

"_That was lightning quick! _"Thought Spyro.

"That was lightning quick, Sparky."Exclaimed Sparx. He then turned to face Spyro, which was watching him with wide eyes.

"Got it? 'Cause he's an electricity dragon!"Said the dragonfly laughing.

"C'mon we don't have time for bad puns, we must speak with the elders' council."Said the guardian.

"Come with me, I'll escort you there"Added Aqua. The others nodded and sped down the rocky tunnels. After few minutes they reached the central hub and ascended trough the circular opening, returning to the upper side of the settlement.

It took them another minute to reach the great hall, where there were already some councillors, attending other matters. Once they saw the group of Warfangians dragons coming to them with a fast pace, they grouped before them.

"Miss Cynder, it's good to see you already on your paws. We're extremely sorry for what happened down in the caves. Rest assured that the culprit will be severely punished for his aggression."Stated Orm.

"Actually we came here to give you a rather unpleasant news about this late attack."Said Aqua.

"Come over, purple dragon."Continued the dragoness, gesturing with her head. On his cue, Spyro positioned himself in front of the elders, which where scrutinising him curiously.

"Less than an hour ago I was contacted by the Chronicler, which told me that darkness still is present in the realms and more specifically, on your island. A large dark crystal is hidden in your mines and it has the potential to turn whoever comes in contact with it, into a menace like the one that assaulted Cynder before."Concluded the youngster.

The Elders recoiled with utter dismay etched on their faces.

"How is this possible!? Didn't you obliterate the darkness in recomposing the planet? You just lied all this time?"Asked indignate one elder.

Spyro bowed lightly his head, frowning.

"_Of course they would blame me for this threat._"He thought.

This only added up to the guilt already present in his heart since he received the news from Ignitus. He felt heavy, in knowing that someone could still suffer from the atrocities of Darkness. He fought with all he had to clean this world from the taint of Malefor and bring it back by literally mending its pieces together. Alas Fate cruelly decided that the peace that they sacrificed so much for, needed to be pushed farther away from them. He was really beginning to resign himself to live a life of constant strife. To battle to the end of his days for a peace that, in the current situation, seemed nothing more than a utopia. And of course everyone expected him to fight this battle for them, it's the "destiny of the mighty purple dragon" to fight for peace and dedicate his life to protect the weak. He was getting tired of fighting. He had finally found love and amazing friends-.

"_What?…_"

Someone pulled him out from his train of thoughts, with the simple and delicate gesture of a wing posed on his back. He turned around, meeting Cynder's emerald gems.

"Is everything ok?"She asked a bit worried.

In that moment he realised why he needed to fight. Not because everyone expected him to do so.

It was for her.

Her life has been in constant turmoil since her birth, abused and tortured. Turned into a puppet, a monster, without will, denying her the right to live her life. Spyro felt a sudden rush of energy course through him.

For her, he would confront anything and anyone who dared to cross their path to the peace they deserved. A peace that she deserved.

So he nodded energetically, returning his gaze to the elders before him.

"I didn't know of its existence until half an hour ago, as I already said. We came here to help you with dealing this threat. We must find and destroy this dark crystal before it plagues any other citizen's mind."Stated Spyro firmly.

"And how do you intend to do it? Our mines extends for kilometres underground, it could be anywhere!"Added another elder.

"We could interrogate the Earth dragon who attacked Miss Cynder. If he's the one who found it, maybe he remembers the way. I can lead them to the infirmary's dungeons."Proposed Aqua.

"That's a stupendous idea. Let's go!"Exclaimed Volteer.

"I wish you luck, the last report stated that he was still unconscious."Affirmed one elder.

"We'll see what we can do."Said the blue dragoness, taking the lead.

* * *

In few minutes the group descended down the central ring and entered the lower side of the city. Acqua directed them into one of the paths that they visited before, but then she took a turn to a rather dark tunnel. After a couple minutes of silent walking, the team arrived in front of an iron gate guarded by two armoured dragons. They bowed to the group, before nodding to another guard behind the gate, which promptly lifted the barrier.

They all walked inside, with only the metallic noise of the iron gate falling back in its place accompanying their walk.

They walked along another barely lit tunnel, with a series of empty cells on their right.

"Luckily we don't have much, if any, criminal activity here in Seascale. These dungeons were built to detain any possible prisoner that might have been captured outside our walls…"Explained Acqua.

Finally they arrived in the medical wing of the building which was definitely smaller than the big facility they visited earlier. There were just a couple of stretchers and a raised examination bed, where the earth dragon that attacked Cynder was laying still.

"Miss Aqua! What are you doing here with our guests?"Exclaimed worried a voice form a side room. Soon after a fire drake emerged from the opening. He had a couple of leather-made pouches hanging from the side of his neck, and another couple strapped to his forelegs. From them, a set of vials could be seen coming out from the lid. Inside them, some green and dense liquid was moving at the same rhythm of the fire wielder's breathing.

"Relax, Rigon, we're here to talk with Soil about what happened this morning."

"I understand, but he's been unconscious since then…"The drake turned his head to face the purple youngster.

"You gave him quite a beating, Master Spyro."Sighed Rigon.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to hurt him badly."Said Spyro, dipping his head below his shoulders.

"You did what had to be done in order to protect your friend form an assault. Don't be sorry."Stated the fire wielder.

"By the way, I'm glad to see you're fine miss Cynder."Concluded Rigon, returning his gaze to the bandaged dragon on the bed.

There was an awkward silence, until the fire dragon spoke again.

"So why do you need to talk with him about what happened? It was really clear that it was a deliberate attack, we have many witnesses…"

"There's been an important development about the aggression. We have reasons to believe that our friend here has been used and manipulated by a dark force in order to attack Spyro." Stated Volteer eagerly.

"Ancestors! I beg, tell me it's not Malefor again!" Pleaded the healer.

Again, silence fell for a couple of seconds, while the drake's eyes darted frantically between the various dragons in the room.

"It's not really Malefor, but his definitely connected to his power."Stated Spyro moving closer to the bed. He curiously looked at the drake, before lifting his right paw.

"From what I remember, Ignitus spoke about mind submission and not corruption. So in this case…" His body was like moving on its own.

He posed his paw on the green scales of the earth dragon. In that exact moment a jolt of pain flashed to his body, making him rebound with a yelp. Cynder instantly jumped to catch him, stopping his fall. She immediately inspected his figure, strangely not finding any kind of injury which could cause such pain.

Meanwhile Soil's eyes blasted open, as he yelped too, but from the fright. His unfocussed eyes darted panicking in every direction, until a purple figure came into view. Adrenaline pumped in his blood, making him skid away from the bed and wrap himself in his wings behind the bed.

The medic reached the scared dragon trying to calm him down, while the others tended to the purple dragon.

The earth dragon's eyes where wide as saucers, his pinprick sized, but unfocused pupils rebounded continuously in every direction. The dragon was clearly in panic.

Rigon posed his paw in Soil's shoulder, which caused another yelp from the younger dragon.

"Hey, calm down. Nobody's here to hurt you."

"T-t-they were e-every where. T-they w-wouldn't stop."Said the dragon, staggering.

"Who would not stop, Soil?"Replied the medic.

"The v-voices, they were e-evil…"Continued the earth adult. Meanwhile his eyes began to focus again as they scanned the room.

He posed his eyes on the black dragons tending to Spyro and immediately all the events that happened just few hours early returned as strong and clear memories, and with them, also all the hate that he proved for the purple dragon, that now seemed to him so unjustified and wrong. The torrent of emotions was unbearable and he broke down crying.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"He whispered through the sobs, while Rigon patted him on the back.

Cynder, in seeing that Spyro was mostly fine, left him to the other's care and moved near the weeping dragon.

She gently posed her paw on the older dragon's one to gain his attention. The latter immediately stopped, focusing his teary eyes on her.

She could clearly see guilt and dread, both feelings well known to her.

"We know that what happened wasn't your fault, Soil, there's nothing to ask forgiveness for."

"But now we need your help to look for what made you attack us, we know it was a dark crystal, hidden somewhere in the caves of Seascale. Do you remember where you were when you found it?"She asked gently.

It took a couple of moments to the adult dragon to process what was happening. Yes, it was an indeed dreadful news, to know that in his home there was still a menace, but at the same time it was god to know that all that happened hours before wasn't totally his fault, that there still was hope to be forgiven.

He swallowed hardly, feeling his heartbeat slowing down a bit.

"I was assigned a new r-route from the director, I t-think I still have the map in one of my satchels."He answered weakly.

"I'm gonna fetch your belongings immediately."Said Rigon, returning to the room he came from before.

Moments after, the dragon returned with a couple of leather pockets with leg straps, all dusty and ruined.

Soil took the firs one and began to fumble with the lid, before digging his muzzle in the satchel. After a couple of muffled curses, he produced a piece of parchment, as much dusty as the leather container which held it. He unfurled the scroll on the floor, holding its ends with his tail.

"I-it isn't d-difficult to reach, just follow t-these directions from the main entrance of the m-mines."He explained.

Cynder nodded in understating.

"Thank you for your help, Soil. We'll leave you to rest and we'll take care of this."She said, folding the map and taking it under her wing. Soil bowed his head in respect.

"Thank you, Miss Cynder. Both for your help, and your forgiveness."Said the older dragon.

Cynder, which totally wasn't used to receive this kind and respectful treatment, remained a bit taken aback, but also very pleased in the end. All of her and Spyro's hard work in clearing her name was finally giving results. She remained herself to give a hug to her purple lug later.

She returned to her friends and smiled upon noticing the said purple dragon up on his paws again, talking to their friends. She eyed him again just be sure he was alright, thing she stated almost immediately, seeing him smile upon her arrival.

"Soil gave me this map of the mines"She said, showing the parchment hidden beneath her wing.

"Marvellous, young dragoness! Our search will be much more easy now that we have to know where to look."Beamed Volteer.

"Miss Aqua already left for the mines in order to evacuate them, so we must hurry and arrive there as soon as we can."Continued the guardian. The other dragons nodded, waved goodbye to the other two dragons in the room and speeded down the prison corridor.

Ten minutes later, after wandering a bit and asking around for help, they arrived at the entrance of the mines. It was a large, squared gate, with a big horizontal pillar serving as a lintel. All around the entrance there were several groups of earth dragons of all sizes and colours, most of them covered in dust and bearing some leather sacks strapped around their waist.

The range emotions varied from annoyed to cheerful, mostly the young ones were the latter.

The Warfangians dragons crossed the mass of earth dragons and reached the gate, where there was Miss Aqua, talking to another colossal earth wielder. She was at least tall as Terrador, but her scales color shifted from a very lavished green to a stone grey. The said dragonesses turned their attention to the arriving dragons.

The earth dragoness immediately framed both Spyro and Cynder, studying them from tail to muzzle. It was clear that she was annoyed to say the least.

Meanwhile Gaia was looking all around her with awe, she never saw so many Earth dragons in one place. Her wonder reached the top who she posed her eyes on the giant dragoness before her. Only the voice of the councillor interrupted her staring.

"Well, our friends managed to arrive. I already explained to Rose, directress of the mines, the problem."Stated Aqua.

"Yes, I must say that knowing that such a devilry is present in my mines and in my city angers me to no limit."Said the colossal dragoness, with a rumble.

"I would face this threat personally, but miss Aqua here advised me to let you deal with that."

"It's also good to now that one of my workers isn't a criminal…"She said, turning to Cynder.

"So, I'll follow the orders and let you solve this problem. May Ancestors look after you all, young dragons and Guardian Volteer."She said bowing curtly and finally directing to her subordinates, heavy paw steps echoing in the cave.

"Well, shall we begin. Has your extra time with Soil produced any result?"Asked Aqua inquisitively.

Cynder stepped in, producing the map and unfurling on the ground.

"He gave me this, he said to follow this directions from the entrance."Said Cynder. The blue dragoness scrutinised the map, before turning her head to the dimly lit tunnel.

"Very well, it shouldn't be too far away, still we need to be careful." She said, directing in the caves.

"C'mon, let's go."She intimated. The other dragons followed her.

* * *

It took them a while to get near the indicated location, which, based on Aqua and Soil said, should have been a new route to explore to extract gems. That explained why the dark crystal was never found before that day. Cynder kept consulting the map from time to time, helped by Spark's light.

They continued to walk and walk until Spyro halted abruptly, a frown on his face.

"Do you feel it?"He said, suspiciously.

"What?"

"The magical draw of the crystal. It's subtle, but present. We're getting near…"He stated. The others nodded and returned to walk, this time with extra carefulness.

After few minutes they finally spotted a crevice in a side wall, with a strong purple light emitting from it. They all halted in seeing this.

"Good, now that we found it, what do we do?"Asked Gaia.

"We must clearly destroy it, young dragoness, the real problem is how to do it, without being mind-boggled."Hummed Volteer.

"Surely we can't make the cave collapse, it wouldn't guarantee the destruction of the crystal and it would probably bury us alive."Observed Auros.

"Maybe we could dig a tunnel underneath it! Then make it sink under water."Beamed Gaia. Aqua raised a brow.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but our island extends hundreds if not thousands of meters underneath the sea. It would be impossible to do it."Stated Aqua flatly.

Gaia pouted at the answer, beginning to think again to a solution.

"I have an idea, but it's risky…"Affirmed Spyro.

"Do we have any spare green crystals?"He asked. Immediately all dragons fumbled with their satchels, some of them producing a couple of green magical gems.

"What it's your plan, Spyro?"Asked inquisitively Volteer.

"Cynder and I are going to get closer. I can protect us with my fire-shield. While she can get a better view of what we're dealing with without getting influenced."Stated the purple dragon.

"I could use my static energy shield, Spyro."Affirmed Volteer.

"Yes, but since the aperture is really small, I don't see the use to waste you energy to bring just the two of us there. Maybe we could use it later to shield all of us in case we didn't find a smarter way to destroy the thing without a frontal attack."Said the purple youngster.

The older dragon paused for a moment, before sighing.

"Ok Spyro, but be careful. If you feel too much energy withdrawal leave immediately, understood?"Demanded the guardian. Both Spyro and Cynder nodded.

The couple stepped on and Spyro exhaled heavily, gathering as much concentration as he could. The magical draw was still present, but it wasn't strong enough to compromise his ability, or at least he hoped.

He focussed harder, letting his worries slip away and a bluish aura began to form around the two young dragons. Once fully covered, Spyro nodded to Cynder and began walking in the direction of the crevice. As soon as the crystal came into view, a dart of black energy bolted from it and even if it was several metres inside the cave, it struck with great energy, dissipating with a hiss against the shield. Spyro exhaled heavily, while Cynder began to use her venom to melt the rock and open a bigger passage for all the group. After a couple of tense minutes the two returned to their team, panting in fatigue. With a greater opening the onslaught of the crystal was also stronger, meaning Spyro consumed more energy that he intended to. They got offered the remaining green crystals, which they gladly accepted.

Once they got their energy practically restored, Volteer spoke up.

"So, what did you see?"

"The crystal is at least five meters inside the cave, rooted in the middle. I don's see any way to circle around it without getting one of us corrupted."Said Cynder.

"The idea should be attack all simultaneously, if we hit the same point around the base, there's more probability to crack it."Said Spyro.

"So it's front attack then… Very well."Sighed Volteer, standing up. Spyro raised a brow in seeing the Electricity Guardian, who usually sparked brighter than the element he wields, so gloomy and tired.

"All of you, get behind me and, for Ancestors' sake, do not cross the line of the shield. "Stated Volteer.

"Here we go!"Said, the guardian, moving rapidly to the, now wider, aperture in the wall.

Immediately the crystal reacted to their presence sending those malicious streaks of dark energy than now resembled more bolts of lighting than a mist.

Simultaneously the group of dragon began their assault, completely bathing the crystal with a cascade of magical attacks.

"Push forward!"Screamed Volteer while beginning himself to move on inside the cave to get closer to their objective. Everybody followed the elder dragon, not daring to exit the range of his life-saving electricity shield.

Their onslaught went on for quite few minutes and just only after that time, the monstrosity's surface was beginning to chip. It was an hopeful sight, still, on the other hand, the dragons were almost exhausted, with Volteer struggling hard to maintain their line of defence.

They went on and on, until a loud crack emerged from the centre of the crystal, as it began to glow with a bright purple light. The group was less than three meters away from their target and their magical energy was verging on its end. Gaia and Nix had already stopped emitting their elemental breath, struggling to stand. Spyro and Cynder too were almost at their limit, they knew it was now questions of seconds rather than minutes. Spyro most of all, was giving everything he had, but alas the effects of all the tribulation he faced in the recent past had eventually taken its toll on him. He still needed time to recover after all, as the Guardians told him before he left. Never he thought that a voyage of peace could only be the beginning of another conflict. Again he wondered when his fighting days will finally come an end. In that moment he felt a tap on his right shoulder. He glanced sideways only to see that Auros had stopped emitting his elemental breath and was watching him with a serious stare. He got closer and screamed:"Cover me!"

It took a fraction of a second to Spyro in order to realise what he was going to do, alas it was already too late. His white friend conjured a Comet Dash that zapped out at an astounding speed from the barrier and collided directly with the focal point of their assault, taking part of their attacks in the meantime.

In the moment of contact a bright, blinding light invested all the dragons present in the cave.

The crystal exploded. Time seemed to stop.

Or so it seemed to all the presents, because a fraction of a second later, they were all tumbling on the rocky flooring of the tunnel which they came from.

The poor Volteer didn't have time to get up, that Auros was literally slammed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. They white dragon unceremoniously dropped on the floor, his scales fuming slightly.

Nix ,with the last straw of her strengths, darted towards him while Aqua helped the guardian to regain his footing.

Auros's scales where fizzing probably due to taking the blunt of the magical explosion directly on him, some of them where chipped off with a nasty burn marks showing the skin below them.

Fortunately he was still breathing, as his eyes fluttered open.

"Oww…"He murmured.

"That was very irresponsible and impulsive, young dragon…"Said Volteer panting.

"Still, good job."He turned is gaze to face everybody.

"Is everyone ok, our white friend aside?"He asked worriedly.

"Just tired as hell."Said Sparx, who stood in the rear the whole time. Every dragon glared at him, even Spyro. He raised his tiny hands in defence.

"Just joking, just joking…"

"I think we all just need to get back and rest a bit."Said Spyro, with an heavy breathing. Meanwhile, Nix was aiding Auros in standing up, he draped a wing over her back to help himself with his balance. The whole time, the azure dragoness had a mixture of clear concern and a veiled anger in her eyes, as she scrutinised him for any other injury and sometimes breathing ice on his hide in order to cool him down. He whispered a 'thank you' to the dragoness, before nodding to the others.

Miss Aqua meanwhile was studying the cave in which the crystal was installed. Any trace of its presence had completely vanished, as only a small crater was left in its place. Some dust and debris had fallen down the ceiling, but there was no evidence of an imminent structural collapse. At least they could return safely, with a slow pace.

"Very well team, let's get some utterly well deserved rest."Said Volteer, regaining a bit of his usual quirkiness.

And so they left the dark tunnels and the mines behind them, only to be met at the entrance with a crowd on dragons all bombarding them with questions. Aqua dismissed them briefly, escorting their guests to their accommodation. They will have time to address their success once they're fully rested.

Spyro and Cynder almost dragged themselves to their hay-bed, before literally falling asleep coiling on one another.

Meanwhile Volteer dispensed to Auros a couple of red crystal, that, after a couple of pained hisses, sealed his wounds. Volteer reprimanded him again a bit, before adopting a more condescending expression and sending him off to bed with an energetic pat on the back.

Nix waited for him at the entrance of his room and dragged him to bed, embracing him with her wings.

"You scared me again, what happened to your being a considerate dragon?"Asked the dragoness, her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry, but things where really getting bad and I didn't want to get anyone more hurt."He answered with a whisper.

"Hmm."She hummed.

"Well, I'm glad you're ok."She said, nestling her head in the crook of his neck.

"Goodnight"He said, licking her forehead.

"Goodnight"

Outside, the sky over the spent volcano, glimmered with silver and golden stars.

**Hope to see you in the next chapters, thank you for reading. I'll be regularly updating my profile with the status of the current chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24 - Addressing Problems

**Hi everyone, I'm here only to say that this could be the last chapter for a while, since I'm beginning again my last year of university. I'll still be updating my profile with the progress I make. Thank you for all the review, I hope you'll enjoy this new one**

**-Azotac**

Spyro's eyelids slowly flickered open, as a narrow beam of sun filtered through the closed tent and into his and Cynder's room. He groaned and turned on the other side covering his face with his wing. In that moment he felt Cynder groaning too, as she was previously covered by his now raised appendage. She shuffled, dumping her muzzle underneath his chin.

He smiled wide.

The drake nuzzled her gently in between her horns, before raising his neck to look around their room.

The pesky beam was now hitting their backs, but it would be another couple of minutes before it gets back again to their faces.

He dismissed that thought, focusing on the narrow gap between the almost pitch black wall of rock and the sunlit tent the partially obscured their room. The light was very intense, meaning it was already late in the morning…At least they got to sleep longer.

Spyro followed the beam until his gaze returned on their bodies, where an intense glare made him squint. The light bounced off their scales, dusting the ceiling of the room with countless bright dots that varied between gold, purple, magenta and grey. The latter probably due to Cynder's scales not having a real colour to reflect.

He thought about all the things that happened the day before. They shifted to a time of apparent peace, to one of strife back again in the span of a couple of hours. The young dragon played again in his head the same tune of questions about his fighting days. Alas he dismissed all of them, not wanting to ruin a good and peaceful morning.

He smiled again, returning his head in its previous position, shifting slightly his wing in order to cover more of their visages, before the light returns to annoy them. He spared a last glance to his sleeping beauty before returning into the embrace of sleep.

* * *

Cynder woke up at least an half an hour later, yawning wide under Spyro's chin. She blinked few times until she heard a light snore coming form the pile of purple scales around her. She giggled, before a wild idea popped in her head: it was time to get him back for last morning.

She had to admit that she craved a bit of intimacy with her lover every now and then. It was an urge of her to show him as much affection as she could. A reminder for him of her love and her eternal thankfulness for all that he had done for her.

She stealthily left his embrace, gently moving his wings with her own. She then used her other wing, still partially under him, to make the drake turn on his back.

Spyro was now left with his forepaws hanging in the air, his muzzle partially open with his tongue slipping out on the left corner of his maw.

Cynder snickered at the image, so much for the mighty hero.

She finally straddled him, posing her rump on his under belly and her paws on his chest.

He was still sleeping.

The dragoness dipped her muzzle on his neck, beginning to lick the base, while her paws explored his chest in a slow massage. She caressed gently every portion of his golden scales that she could find, tracing her claws on every nick and dent on them and delicately touching with her digits the sensitive tissue of his scars. His snoring stopped, only to be followed by a gasp. His eyes fluttered open and unfocused darted around.

"Cynder…What…Ahh!"His rambling was interrupted by a low moan, the same way that happened to her last morning. She giggled again, before cupping his snout with her paws and taking him into a deep kiss. His lips, at first sleepy, began to respond moments after, reciprocating the love they were being bestowed. They separated few seconds later, with Spyro taking a deep breath.

"_I hope he appreciated it…_"She thought.

The dragoness posed her gaze on her drake and she saw in his eyes the answer to the obviously rhetorical question.

They were full of love, care and other countless emotions. Someone would think that these kind of interactions would be "saccharine" or "over-sentimental", but to them and mostly to her, after being denied love and care for an entire life, this was the bare minimum she wanted to feel and make feel to her partner.

Her wondering halted once he pushed his snout on hers, purring loudly. They nuzzled lovingly at each other, before sliding their foreheads together. Their breaths were synchronised and Cynder could swear that their hearts were in tune too.

It was a magical moment.

It was almost as they were one, their souls talking a language of emotions and feelings, incomprehensible to any other being, if not them and only them. Cynder felt peace, reassurance…love.

The magic got interrupted when Spyro removed his forehead from hers and licked playfully her snout a couple of times.

"Thank you so much"He said lovingly.

She smiled at her purple dork.

"Anytime, my love"

They cuddled a bit more, before finally getting up and walking out from the stone-carved room.

The couple spotted their friends coming to their direction, so they waved their wings to salute them. Once they were all together, they walked along the circular pathway, until they decided to take the air to get to the great hall.

Fortunately, being late in the morning, the place wasn't too much crowded, leaving them eat with tranquillity, before reporting what happened the day before to the elders of Seascale.

They sat in silence, low chewing and slurping, the only noises coming from them, mixing with the peaceful morning sounds of dragons coming to and fro the hall.

Spyro, who had already finished his meal, now stood with his paws on the table, his head posed on it. He was still thinking about the day before. Luckily, it has been a relatively easy task to accomplish and most importantly, nobody got seriously hurt. The purple dragon wondered what would have happened if that crystal was discovered without them being in the city. Would it have subdued all its inhabitants? That was probably the case, and most probably they would also have found a small army of dragons coming to Warfang to get his hide.

Or maybe, nobody would ever reach that route and so it would never be discovered. Who knows…

Then his thoughts flew to what Volteer said. In fact, who knew how many more dark crystals like the one they found were hidden in the realms. How much time will take them to find and destroy them all?

All these unanswered questions kept floating in his mind, making him frown.

Cynder noticed it and gently posed her wing on his back, caressing him.

Spyro, being pushed out from his train of thoughts, raised his head to meet her, they smiled fondly at each other.

"Thinking?"She asked, getting closer.

"Ya…"He answered.

"About what to do next?"

Spyro hummed in answer, sighing shortly after.

"We should definitely return to Warfang and talk with the other guardians about this."Continued the purple dragon. Cynder was about to answer him, when their calm was interrupted by the arrival of a well known blue dragoness.

"Good morning friends"Said Aqua, bowing to the dragons sat at the table.

"You too, miss Aqua."Greeted Volteer.

"I came here to see if everything is all right and to escort you to the council room to report with me what happened yesterday in the caves."She stated.

"Very well, we all should be finished here."Continued Volteer, glancing around the table.

"Lead the way."

* * *

So they left the great hall together. Directing to the council room, which was situated on the higher ring of the volcano, dug as the other, inside the basaltic stone. The group landed in front of the opening and entered the room. It was a much more refined place, with beautiful carving alongside the walls. There were all the councilmen already accomodated, on what appeared to be a series of pelt cushions, around a wide U-shaped table that seemed to be literally extruded from the rocky floor below. Behind the elder dragons, there were all kinds of maps and banners fixed on the wall, probably remains from the period of war.

"Ah, our heroes have finally arrived. Please take a seat."Said Elder Orm, gesturing another bunch of cushions laid before the basaltic table. The Warfangian dragons sat on where he indicated, while Aqua took the last vacant spot at the table.

"Very well. Before we begin, we must give you as a minimum a great thank you in behalf of our city, for dealing with this problem by yourself."Began the fire elder.

"Now, tell us more about this damned dark crystals."

"Well, basing our suppositions on what our dear Spyro's words, which I take as the absolute truth, since not only I trust him with my life, but also because they come directly by the Chronicler himself, there are an unquantified amount of dark crystals currently present in the continent if not the whole world. We don't know their powers, we don't know if this was the last one or just the second of a long series and we don't know how to find them."Stated Volteer, with his usual talkativeness. Spyro remained stunned every time the Guardian spoke in that way. He seemed like he could change his vocabulary with the flick of a switch.

"So how do we prepare for this menace?"Asked another elder.

"You can't, since this new foe doesn't move and seemingly doesn't manifest itself on its own."Fired back the guardian.

"So we're at war again? We have to sleep with one eye open from now on, until this menace has vanished?"Asked another councilman. At this point Spyro felt the urge to intervene.

"I think it's not the case. From what we saw, the last two crystals were located in very remote and faraway places. I consider your city to be safe, since I'm sure we cleared the only crystal present on the island. Malefor was a fool, but he wasn't stupid. Placing crystals too near to each other, would make them easier to find and hence destroy."

Many councillors breathed on relief as he finished his words.

"Very well, thank you for your immense and inestimable help. We consider you visit here concluded. We wish to you all a safe return at home. We instructed Cirrus to guide you back to Warfang."

"Thank you again for helping us and for gracing us of your presence."Concluded elder Orm, bowing his head. All the other councillors followed him, paying thanks and respect to the Warfangian dragons, before they led them out, back into the courtyard and onto the basaltic wall that covered the exit.

There were several citizen that had surrounded the base of the rampart from which they came at they arrival. Spyro also noticed the presence of the small hatchling that 'assaulted' him in the great hall. He waved at her and the dragoness replied timidly with her little yellow wing.

"Thank you again to you all for coming"Said elder Orm, before turning to Cirrus.

"Get them home and take your time to return safely"He ordered to the younger drake.

"Yessir"Nodded the wind drake.

"Very good. May the Ancestors watch over all of you during your journey back home."Concluded the fire dragon, bowing again his head, many other citizens followed his gesture, saluting the leaving guests.

"May they watch over us all"Replied Volteer, as the group took flight down the tunnel.

The crossing of the passage went on peacefully, as the flock of dragons flew at low speed in line.

Spyro was admiring the reflections of the sun on the crystalline azure water, as they made an almost hypnotising movement up on the black ceiling of the cave.

In few minutes they traversed the entrance of the passage, grazing the salty water of the sea. They ascended up in the sky, until the finally reached the desired height. The purple dragon turned his gaze one last time back to the impervious basaltic walls of the island. It felt like an eternity since they got there, even if it was at most two days. Then, his gaze drifted to Cynder, who was covering the tail of the group. He smiled fondly at her, a gesture that she replied lovingly.

He then turned to face onward, his eyes pointing to south-east, where, after endless plains and forests, there was his home. He's been adrift for his entire life, thrown between one place and another, never being able to settle long enough in any place that wasn't the swamp he was born into. Now that he had found a place where he can be happy, but of course new problems came afloat, tearing him away from the tranquility he desired and deserved. Again, he discarded as much as he could those thoughts, focusing back on his surroundings.

* * *

Their journey back to Warfang was mostly pleasant and uneventful. The days passed as a blur, since Spyro literally lost himself in watching the natural landscapes that their continent offered. It was like discovering a new world again and seeing things and places he never saw before, even if he was there less than a week before, only going in the opposite direction.

It wasn't until the end of the fourth day of voyage that they reached the beautiful and always welcoming Avalar Valley. The lush and green vegetation combined with the fresh air coming from the near mountains aways had a calming effect on the purple dragon. Yes, it brought back some memories of the recent war, but still, he could not oppose resistance to the embrace of the nature. He witnessed the same effect propagate on his friends. He saw them more relaxed, with smiles plastered on their muzzles.

The dragons followed the river, also passing over the cheetahs' village. The purple dragon wondered how the village was faring after the war. He remembered that Hunter reassured that they received no major losses during the conflict, but still he worried for his dear feline friend. He returned his focus along the crystalline water of the Avalar river, which they were following in order to get back to the Forbidden Passage.

The orange rays of the sunset painted the landscapes with beautiful colours, making the river look like molten gold, as the shadows darkened and the sun faded behind the mountains.

In twenty minutes or so, they reached the entrance of the passage, as they all stopped in front of the thick rock slab with a huge paw-like mark etched on it.

"So that's where our ways part."Said Cirrus.

"Sadly yes, dear friend. Thank you for your immense help and guidance. We all hope for your safe return at home"Replied Volteer.

"Thank you Master Volteer and thank you to all of you for helping my city. I'm eternally grateful"Said the drake, taking again the air.

"Bye Cirrus!"

"Bye!"

Once the wind drake disappeared into the darkening clouds, the dragons returned their focus on there surrounding and most importantly on the gateway of the passage.

Volteer inched closer, posing his own paw to the block of rock. Moments after, the stone began to shift, revealing the now familiar dimly lit passage that brought directly to the dragon city. The group began to walk along the tunnel, their paw-steps echoing into the darkness.

"Spyro, my boy, could you come in front with me for a moment?"Asked Volteer. Spyro turned to Cynder, who prodded him on with her muzzle.

"Coming"Said the drake, trotting in front of his friends.

Once he arrived, the elder dragon unfurled a wing round the smaller drake, pulling him a bit closer.

"So Spyro, I'm terribly sorry to tear you out from Cynder's attention and you may think that this is not the right moment to talk, but still…I must ask the obvious question: how are you?"Asked with concern the Guardian. Spyro raised and eyebrow at the elder.

"I'm…fine? I guess… why this sudden question?"

"Well, during our unfortunate squabble with the dark crystal I saw a much faster drain of your elemental energy. I consider it a normal phenomenon, in seeing what happened to you and the presence of that…abomination…But since we all care for your health, I also must ask you felt any different during the recovery period."Continued the guardian.

"I…I felt tired as usual, the scars did itch a bit, but it should be normal right?"

"Yes, yes, giving the muscular exertion you were put under during the fight, a bit of oversensitivity is still to be considered normal."

"About your magic then, did you feel anything different while expelling your elements, did you feel them less powerful?"

"A bit yes, but you guardians said that was acceptable since, you know, the things that happened."

"True, true. As soon as we get home and get well rested we should test out the changes during this period of recovery, to see if there's anything that we should be concerned of. Sounds fair?"

"Yessir."

"Very good. Now changing subject…I'll need your help, as well as Cynder's to explain to my colleagues what we found in Seascale and most importantly what Ignitus told you. Consider this as an initiation to a possible future for you."Continued Volteer.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Spyro, you're a purple dragon. By the colour of your scales and most importantly by your achievements you are already considered a point of reference and soon, as you grow up, you will be considered as an authority. If you wish, you could become an important political figure, in a future where our connections are fully reestablished and peace consolidated."Proposed the yellow dragon.

"I'm flattered, but I don't think I would be able to do it"

"Why so?"

"I mean, I fought non-stop for the last years of my life and it seems like that I won't stop soon… I thought that I'd like to have some time of peace and tranquillity after all of this. Of course I'd love to help you Guardians, if you ever need help or something similar."

"But you can't see yourself to be a councillor or an important figure."Completed Volteer, his features softening.

"Yea, I'd like to stay out of the light for a bit, unless it's really necessary."

"Hmmm…You're still young, you have probably millennia to think about it."Said the elder.

"Sorry if I brought it up, I'm anyway glad that you spoke with me about your concerns and most importantly, to know that you're good. I'll leave you at the care of your dragoness."Concluded the Guardian, lifting his wing and winking at the smaller drake.

Spyro nodded and returned to his previous position beside Cynder.

The group kept on walking until the familiar stone gateway appeared, signalling the end of their journey, as the two big rock-made doors opened, letting the tired dragons slip back into Warfang.

They walked the corridor with a certain urgency before taking flight and directing towards the temple. Night had fallen over the great dragon city, which was dimly illuminated by some lamps along the streets and on the various buildings. The group dashed through the sky, with Gaia leaving the group soon after, directing towards her home.

Auros turned to salute Nix, who usually is the next one along the way, but was caught with the said dragoness flying directly by his side.

"Can I stay with you tonight?"She asked with puppy eyes. The white drake was a little taken aback, but nodded with joy nonetheless.

"Of course you can."

Finally the five dragons landed in front of the great Temple, the guards bowed at their arrival and opened the gate, letting them in. Volteer dashed through the corridor, reaching the empty main hall. He then turned to the young dragons behind him.

"Well, well, seems like my esteemed colleagues are already sleeping, perks of the old age. Better I follow them, have a good night of rest young ones, we'll see each other tomorrow morning to address what we learnt during out trip. Until then, sleep well!"Said the elder.

The youngsters nodded and bowed to the drake as he left for his chambers.

"Well, now also whitey has a special guest for tonight"Snorted Sparx, turning to the said dragon.

"It's already hard to handle these two, especially a certain black dragoness"He continued, pointing his thumb back at Cynder.

"Oh, you'll see what that certain dragoness is gonna do if another certain annoying bug doesn't shut his trap."Exclaimed Cynder with a malicious grin.

"Yea, yea. Be careful with teeth, cya!"Said Sparx before zipping through the hallway and up the stairs, in order to evade retaliation. Spyro laughed, Cynder looked more annoyed than ever and the other two youngster were both embarrassed beyond limits.

"He's always like this, don't mind him."Reassured the purple dragon.

"Anyway we should go to bed, I'm super tired."Said Auros.

"I agree"Snorted Cynder.

So the quartet ascended the stairs, separating a minute later, bidding goodnight. Auros and Nix entered the drake's room and flopped together onto the bed.

"You think they'll need us tomorrow morning, or what Volteer said was more directed towards Spyro and Cynder?"Asked the dragoness.

"Hmm, I dunno…"Replied the drake, embracing the other with his wings.

"If they need us, they'll come to get us for sure."He continued yawning.

"Goodnight"She said posing her snout on his.

"Goodnight you too"

* * *

The two legendary heroes were huddled together, sleeping calmly. Their chests were rhythmically raising and falling, following the tempo of their breath.

Moments later Spyro hitched, as his eyelids fluttered open. His unfocussed eyes darted around until they posed on the sleeping form of the dragoness in his embrace.

He smiled, nuzzling her, making her hum in her sleep. His paws began to dance around her body, basking it with caresses and gentle scratches. She hummed again, snuggling closer.

"Cyn…"He whispered, trying to wake her up. The dragoness groaned, hiding her face into the crook of his neck.

"five more minutes…"She murmured.

The drake giggled softly, before he dipped his muzzle on her forehead, licking it passionately. She shifted again, this time raising her head and twitching her eyelids open. Her emerald eyes focused on him and with the rapidity of a cobra, she darted forward, kissing Spyro fiercely.

He gasped, before he began to reciprocate the gesture, his paws descending along her back and grasping her hips. She moaned against his maw, eventually forcing her tongue past his teeth and into his mouth.

The purple drake moaned too, while his lips sucked gently the invading presence.

His paws lowered even more, reaching the dragoness rear, grasping it gently. Cynder gasped at his suddenly boldness, making her grin.

She detached from his mouth and gripped one of his horns, forcing his head backwards and exposing his neck. Her lips didn't waste time, as they began to work fiercely around the sensitive scales, making the drake beneath her hitch and gasp in pleasure. Her other paw travelled down his chest, before turning to his back and downward again, finally reaching that perfect ass of his, gripping it greedily.

"Master Spyro, Miss Cynder?"The familiar voice of a mole attendant called from behind their door making the two lovers stop abruptly.

"Yes?"Replied the drake.

"The guardians require your presence in the main hall"

"Ok, we'll be there in five, give us the time to get up."Managed to say Spyro in the middle of his pleasure.

"I'll inform the Guardians"Said the mole, walking away.

Both dragons groaned, as they begin to untangle themselves. In a couple of minutes they left Spyro's room and they began to walk down the corridor.

"Well, we're getting really good at it"Observed Spyro. Cynder hummed in agreement, coiling her tail around his.

As they said, in five minutes they reached the ground floor and the main hall, where there were the three guardians awaiting for them.

They all greeted gleefully each other, before the youngsters and Volteer began to report what happened during their journey.

For Cyril and Terrador it was a real rollercoaster of emotions, going form concern, generated by the presence of an unknown quantity of dark crystals in the continent, to astonishment and almost wonder in knowing their late fellow guardian's predicament.

"Wow, these are quite the news"Said Terrador with his deep voice.

"Yes indeed. And as good it is to know that our esteemed Ignitus is the new Chronicler, this informations about these dark crystals is quite daunting I should say. Most important is the fact that we don't know how many they are at all"Continued Cyril.

"Should we send scout parties across the continent to search for them?"Suggested Volteer.

"It's going to be really difficult to search for all the realm just for these crystals. But we can try to spread the word about them. Telling the people that these are some vestiges of the dark war and to signal their presence to us immediately."Replied Terrador.

"Are you sure it won't generate panic in the population, in knowing that Malefor's paw-print is still present in our continent?"

"What else can we do? We can't just take one hundred dragons and send them across the world to search something that we don't know if is there at all."Replied Terrador.

"Ermm, I have an idea"Said Spyro raising his paw.

"Please, do tell young dragon."

"Well, we saw that the first two crystals were in remote places: one into the western side of the continent and one in the eastern side. Maybe we could look for some remote or abandoned places up north, since Warfang is in the lower point of the continent and it would be stupid of him clustering many crystals together…"He suggested. The elders pondered for few moments his words before nodding.

"It's worth a try."Said Terrador.

"Very well, we'll organise a scouting party to send up to the northern mountains. Ancestors know what's hidden in those frozen wastelands. You young dragons should take a day of rest, before we begin again with your training, if you still want to pursue it, of course."Asserted the earth elder.

"We'd love to"Chimed the two dragons.

* * *

Morning came as soon as they eyelids closed and judging by the strong light filtering from the window, it was already late through it.

Well, at least they got to sleep a bit more and it also seemed that they weren't much needed for reporting back to Master Terrador and Master Cyril.

Auros turned to his flank, admiring the still sleeping dragoness beside him. Her muzzle was curled in a relaxed smile, as her silver chest rose and fell slowly.

In that moment the drake wondered about his feelings for the creature before him.

Love?

He wasn't sure.

That emotion, that sentiment was a something far distant in his memory. He remembered the love of his parents, of his brother. But that was something born from family, from blood relation.

He never received love from another dragon that wasn't someone who shared his own blood.

He only knew that he deeply cared for her. That he would do anything to make her happy.

Could this be called love?A mere and simple friendship or even a morbid devotion?

Well, she had shown care to him, they shared more time together and she also asked to sleep with him. Were this the famous signals that a dragoness gives to a drake to show her interest? Maybe it was time that he tried to step up the game a bit.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when the object of his internal discussion began to move underneath the cover of his wings.

Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing the two silver gems that enthralled him from the first time he saw her.

Nix's mouth curled into a smile as she moved her muzzle closer to the drake.

Maybe this was an invitation?

Auros got close too, posing the tip of his muzzle over hers, flicking out his tongue and lapping gently the azure scales.

The dragoness hummed and replied soon after his affection, licking his chin and nose with timid gestures.

The drake kept on licking the azure muzzle, going up along her nose bridge and to her forehead, finally setting his nose in between her crown of horns.

She purred again, nesting closer to him. He moved his forepaws, enveloping the smaller form of the dragoness with all his body.

Auros really felt the need to say something, to express the swirl of feelings that was turmoiling his soul.

"Nix…"He murmured. She shifted again a bit closer.

"Yes?"

"I…I wanted to…thank you…"He continued, unsure if those were the right words to say. He felt her exhaling on his neck, her muscles tensing a bit. Not a good sign.

"For what?"She asked.

He gulped.

"For…For being at my side. I know it's not a lot that we know each other…but I…I found myself caring deeply for you. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you…how much you are special to me."He concluded.

The drake felt her body relax, as she hummed in contentment. She raised her muzzle and bravely planted a quick kiss on the lips of the white and gold dragon. The male remained dumbfounded, as she pulled away.

"You're also very special to me, Auros."She said, winking at him.

"Hmm…C-Can we do t-that again?"He stammered.

"What? This?"She said, before taking again his lips into a soft kiss. The drake hummed, before answering the affection. They parted and after a moment of eye contact, they kissed again and again.

Auros's paw travelled upward, gently caressing the dragoness face, making her purr again his mouth.

They eventually separated again.

"Auros…I-"

A loud knock interrupted her.

"Guys, are you up?"Asked Cynder from behind the door.

"Yees, 'coming!"Answered Auros. He kissed again the azure dragoness, before hopping down from the pillow-bed and to the door.

"Slept well?"Asked Spyro curiously.

"Ahem, g-good?"Replied sheepishly the white drake.

"You guys already spoke with Master Terrador and Cyril?"Asked the azure dragoness, who was now beside him, with a wing draped over his back.  
"Nuh-Uh missy, no changing of subject!"Exclaimed Cynder, narrowing her eyes.

"Cyn, I think you're embarrassing them…"Observed Spyro, noticing their expression.

"That was the plan!"She replied with a grin.

"You're a bit evil"Said Auros, with a playful tone.

"Guess that it rubbed to me after so many years."She said, keeping her teasing grin.

"Wanna go eat something?"Proposed the purple dragon.

"Yes please, we skipped breakfast."Replied Nix.

"Let's go then! I can't wait to hear the spicy gossip about you two!"Exclaimed again excited Cynder.

"Since when you're interested in such things?"Asked Spyro.

"And where does all this energy come from?"He continued.

"Dunno! I feel…Hopeful! I feel like things are going to be better, even if there's all this fucking-Malefor stuff going on."She answered.

"Well, that's a great dose of positivity! We definitely need it in these times."Replied Auros.

"Very good, let's get Gaia, I'm starving"

So, the quartet left the Temple and directed to Gaia's home, guided by Nix. Finally in another ten minutes they sat on their usual table and ate together joking and laughing, again trying to momentarily forget all the problems they were about to face.

* * *

The sun was alas behind the western hills, when a group of soldiers and the Terrador arrived over the rampart of the Northern Wall.

The five-dragons search party was checking out their satchels and fastening the laces of their armours.

"Corporal Nemes, thank you for offering to lead the scouting party."Said the guardian, getting closer to said drake.

"My honour sir, I'll do all I can to find these infamous crystals."Said confidently the ice soldier.

"Remember, the priority is to get as much information as you can. Do not engage dangerous paths for this research. Is better that you all return home safe and sound."Said Terrador.

"Yessir"

"Very good"

In few minutes all the dragons bowed to the guardian prepared themselves to take off.

"May the Ancestors watch over you"He saluted, as they took the sky and disappeared behind the dark clouds.

_"May they watch over us all…"_


End file.
